My Daughter & The GT

[Lori]

My non-believing daughter lives with me.    She wants nothing to do with religion and doesn't believe in God.   

 

My question is... What's going to happen to her during the Great Tribulation?  

What I mean is, I'm going to probably have to leave our apartment with my beloved animals and she'll probably get scared enough to leave too if violence is bad around us.   

So what happens to her?   

 

I know it's a silly thing to ask, but it's been on my mind lately.  

 

I already suffer badly from PTSD from my past, I couldn't imagine the trauma of having something bad happen to my daughter or her beloved cat.  

 

 

[Fiona]

Dear Lori,
My daughter is baptised but left the truth a year ago so I can say I have asked this question for about 9 months after. Made me SICK just thinking about her.
I wish we could just HUG.

There was a WT months ago and I'm so sorry I didn't save it. But it helped me so much. Just one paragraph.
Here is why.

I did my 100% best to help my daughter learn and stay in the truth. And I failed.
It's heartbreaking. I feel as if she will never come back. She isn't humble and has alot of worldly thinking.
BUT, Matt 19:26 helped me alot. With Jehovah all things are possible. So, I have had to now leave it up to him.
I can only pray that if possible little things reach her heart.

So similary with how your feeling. We just really need to leave this to Jehovah. We can only love them now, and remind them of Jehovah. It's up to them if they want to heed his warnings.
It only matters that we prove Satan a liar and serve Jehovah and put our trust in him. Jehovah know how much we care for our daughters, he will provide us with comfort at our time of need.
In the meantime, keep relying on him.

Much love.
Fiona

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[Sete]

9 minutes ago, Fiona said:

Dear Lori,
My daughter is baptised but left the truth a year ago so I can say I have asked this question for about 9 months after. Made me SICK just thinking about her.
I wish we could just HUG.

There was a WT months ago and I'm so sorry I didn't save it. But it helped me so much. Just one paragraph.
Here is why.

I did my 100% best to help my daughter learn and stay in the truth. And I failed.
It's heartbreaking. I feel as if she will never come back. She isn't humble and has alot of worldly thinking.
BUT, Matt 19:26 helped me alot. With Jehovah all things are possible. So, I have had to now leave it up to him.
I can only pray that if possible little things reach her heart.

So similary with how your feeling. We just really need to leave this to Jehovah. We can only love them now, and remind them of Jehovah. It's up to them if they want to heed his warnings.
It only matters that we prove Satan a liar and serve Jehovah and put our trust in him. Jehovah know how much we care for our daughters, he will provide us with comfort at our time of need.
In the meantime, keep relying on him.

Much love.
Fiona

Sent from my SM-A336E using Tapatalk
 

This article? https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-november-2023/Will-Jehovah-Answer-My-Prayers/

[ChrisW]

So many of us understand and are experiencing what your going through. My son left almost as soon as he was baptized.  He lives with the same woman he's been with for years and they have 3 of my grandchildren.  Sometimes i struggle with knowing how to deal with the children. I distance myself from them because it makes it difficult to not have dealings with my son. But it bothers me.  I don't want the mother to think I don't care about them and I don't know what will happen at Armageddon.  I just pray that Jehovah help me and trust that he will be just. I know he will be.

[hatcheckgirl]

Lori, something that helps me is remembering to be there for them when they return (I have 3 not in the truth). If I concentrate on my personal relationship with Jehovah, I build my trust in him, knowing he will always do the right thing. So, I keep myself strong in the truth to help them when they return.
 

The good thing with that is, I have far fewer days where I feel depressed because they aren’t serving Jehovah with me. I can have a measure of joy in the truth, and make Jehovah happy by giving a reply to Satan. It helps me see the bigger picture - Jehovah’s sovereignty and the vindication of his name.

 

Also, try to see yourself in paradise WITH your daughter. It is very calming and upbuilding and frees us from worry. Just see yourself and her and those beautiful kitties playing together. I have big cats in my mind, really wrestling with them, and enjoying big cat hugs back. What have you got to lose imagining yourself there with your family? 
 

It’s not easy, I know, but that’s how I block out the negativity and cope day to day. Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and live the truth the best way you can. He promises to reward us, and Jehovah never disappoints.

[Fiona]

This article? https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-november-2023/Will-Jehovah-Answer-My-Prayers/

No not that one. Although it was good also.

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[Dustparticle]

2 hours ago, Lori said:

My non-believing daughter lives with me.    She wants nothing to do with religion and doesn't believe in God.   

 

My question is... What's going to happen to her during the Great Tribulation?  

What I mean is, I'm going to probably have to leave our apartment with my beloved animals and she'll probably get scared enough to leave too if violence is bad around us.   

So what happens to her?   

 

I know it's a silly thing to ask, but it's been on my mind lately.  

 

I already suffer badly from PTSD from my past, I couldn't imagine the trauma of having something bad happen to my daughter or her beloved cat.  

 

 

Live with the situation now. Why does she do not believe in God? Ask her this? Reach her heart. It could be a mental issue, etc. I know this one nice guy a years ago and did not believe in God because he did not see him. It is not a good excuse to us, but to him it was. He is dead now and will be resurrected. Being alive again he would have to believe in God. Thing's can turn out good in the future and leave it in Jehovah’s hands sis.

[Jwanon]

Quote

She wants nothing to do with religion and doesn't believe in God

 

 

Why ?

[Dages]

May article is quite a good answer

https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-may-2024/What-Do-We-Know-About-Jehovahs-Future-Judgments/

[cme]

8 hours ago, Lori said:

My non-believing daughter lives with me.    She wants nothing to do with religion and doesn't believe in God.   

 

My question is... What's going to happen to her during the Great Tribulation?  

What I mean is, I'm going to probably have to leave our apartment with my beloved animals and she'll probably get scared enough to leave too if violence is bad around us.   

So what happens to her?   

 

I know it's a silly thing to ask, but it's been on my mind lately.  

 

I already suffer badly from PTSD from my past, I couldn't imagine the trauma of having something bad happen to my daughter or her beloved cat.  

 

 

Lori, I own one myself.  She's out in California doing God knows what and left me her cat.  I have put her in Jehovah's arms and,  He is just, merciful and knows all things.  I trust him.

 

He knows her heart.  I don't.  We have already learned that many in the GT might turn around and join us.  Leave this in Jehovah's hands.  These are issues that are to heavy to carry and no one can carry it for us.  Take care of you emotionally, mentally and spiritually.  These problems can be our test.  Jehovah knows how much I suffered with my youngest.  If he permits me to walk into the new world, He will erase her from my heart and memory.  But, as it stands, we just don't know and worrying about will not change the situation.  If you continue serving Jehovah she will see how happy he makes you and not how miserable she makes you.

 

Our children have minds of their own.  They are not mini us just because we gave birth to them.  They have free-will.

[Asele]

8 hours ago, ChrisW said:

So many of us understand and are experiencing what your going through. My son left almost as soon as he was baptized.  He lives with the same woman he's been with for years and they have 3 of my grandchildren.  Sometimes i struggle with knowing how to deal with the children. I distance myself from them because it makes it difficult to not have dealings with my son. But it bothers me.  I don't want the mother to think I don't care about them and I don't know what will happen at Armageddon.  I just pray that Jehovah help me and trust that he will be just. I know he will 

Sis you have lot to play here for your grand kids, you don't have to distance yourself much if you want your son and his family back, you still have to let him know that he and his family need Jehovah now more than ever. If he will permit you to study the with kids and his wife that will be a very good stepping stone for him to come back. Don't give up just keep trying. 

Edited March 2 by Asele

[Timl1980]

8 hours ago, Lori said:

My non-believing daughter lives with me.    She wants nothing to do with religion and doesn't believe in God.   

 

My question is... What's going to happen to her during the Great Tribulation?  

What I mean is, I'm going to probably have to leave our apartment with my beloved animals and she'll probably get scared enough to leave too if violence is bad around us.   

So what happens to her?   

 

I know it's a silly thing to ask, but it's been on my mind lately.  

 

I already suffer badly from PTSD from my past, I couldn't imagine the trauma of having something bad happen to my daughter or her beloved cat.  

 

 

Good morning, Lori.

 

I agree with the other comments on this subject; the new May Watchtower article is indeed very encouraging...and others have brought out some very valid and faith strengthening points as well. There is only one thing I will add, and I will try to keep this comment simple and to the point, (I know, that would be a miracle, wouldn't it?😂).

 

Please, continue to pray and draw strength from the following truth: When Jehovah liberated the Israelites and they finally walked away from Egypt, did they go alone?

 

No, my dear sister...they went with a "vast mixed company". Do you remember those words? Please draw comfort from those words...and continue to supplicate Jehovah on the matter, then leave it in his hands, (as hard as that may be).

 

Why?

 

Simply put, how do you know that...once she sees everything hit the fan...once she witnesses the start of the great tribulation...how do you know she won't beg to come with you? This is why that May 2024 Watchtower is so comforting...so powerful...it places the hope of such individuals back into the hands of the only person who has the God given RIGHT to judge such a person...Jesus Christ.

 

And Lori...other than Jehovah...who else would you have look into the very depths of your daughter's heart and draw out every single good quality and thought that exist inside her?

 

I will leave it here...Satan may think he has most of such individuals drawn into his web...but Jehovah and Jesus have the ability and the desire to save any who have a sincere change of heart...even at the last minute.

 

 

 

 

[ChrisW]

1 hour ago, Asele said:

If he will permit you to study the with kids and his wife that will be a very good stepping stone for him to come back. Don't give up just keep trying. 

The girlfriend thinks we are foolish for believing in God. She's told me she's atheist.  I've tried to talk to her but reasoning with her is difficult. The children are 6, 5 and 1 yrs old. Maybe now I can try and work with the 2 older ones. 

[Timl1980]

5 minutes ago, ChrisW said:

The girlfriend thinks we are foolish for believing in God. She's told me she's atheist.

 

I have dealt with this situation before, here's an article I found extremely helpful as I attempted to navigate through the murky waters of that particular belief, because in all reality, she may not even be a true atheist.

 

Just keep praying that Jehovah moves her heart and that something will move her to become more reasonable. That type of specific prayer can never be underrated!

 

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2009724#h=1:0-42:63

[Ishaya]

We will all loose loved ones with this system,its a reality we must accept.

Jehovah is choosing very specific type of people to live forever with him as his servants,we cannot change how Jehovah makes his  choices.

 

I have worried about the people I may loose but it was not helping me emotionally,I have made my peace with that.

I can only keep trying to help my loved ones to make themselves deserving so that Jehovah can choose them,but we cannot determine much how people live their lives

 

We must learn from now how we can leave on without others who don't make it.our strongest attachment is to Jehovah not with any other person,we need to begin to prove our attachment to Jehovah from now,so that we are able to cope with this situation in the new world.

[Mike047]

So many that we love, and who still love us in their own way, have chosen a different course, and it pulls at our heartstrings. The Psalmist says: "I have grown numb and become completely crushed; My anguished heart makes me groan aloud" (Ps 38:8), and that is how many feel day after day. 

 

We pray that there may be something about them that Jehovah sees but we cant. We pray that they still have something inside them that we don't know about. We pray that we can keep positive about those we love. It is best to be tactful and kind when speaking to each other about loved ones, and remember that Jehovah does not carry out his final judgement on people until the completion of the separating of the sheep and the goats. Many things have yet to happen during the great tribulation, and this could yet pull at the heartstrings of those we have loved. Always keep positive, and remember that Jehovah is still holding back because "Jehovah is not slow concerning his promise, as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with you because he does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance." The guiding principle here is that by God's undeserved kindness the invitation is still being given, and the angels are still overseeing this work. With Jehovah, all things are possible, and we hope that our loved ones may be among them.

[Dages]

3 hours ago, Ishaya said:

We will all loose loved ones with this system,its a reality we must accept.

We may... it's a possibility. They still have time.

[Ishaya]

2 hours ago, Mike047 said:

Always keep positive,

 

Its not really about being positive, its more about being realistic.

this is what will happen,being positive will not change it.

 

Do you think that Noah was not positive or even hopeful that all his sibblings,his parents perhaps, his close friends, his in-laws etc will accept his message and get saved?

Or do you think that Abraham was not hopeful that the whole of Lots family will get saved? still Lots wife made her own choice that lead to her demise.

Aaron was a Jehovah's High priest,a sterling role model for his children,yet Nadab and Abihu made their own poor choice and died as a result,same with Samuel's sons and Eli's son's.

 

The fact is that we don't have much control over how people choose to live,or what they choose to believe.

 

There is no way that all the people that we would like to be save will get saved,there will always be someone that will not make it.this will be a test of the strength of our attachment to Jehovah, which is the first commandment.

 

[Lori]

8 hours ago, Jwanon said:

 

 

Why ?

She was badly abused by her stepmom. 

[Lori]

13 hours ago, Dustparticle said:

Live with the situation now. Why does she do not believe in God? Ask her this? Reach her heart. It could be a mental issue, etc. I know this one nice guy a years ago and did not believe in God because he did not see him. It is not a good excuse to us, but to him it was. He is dead now and will be resurrected. Being alive again he would have to believe in God. Thing's can turn out good in the future and leave it in Jehovah’s hands sis.

She was badly abused by her stepmom.   

[Jwanon]

6 minutes ago, Lori said:

She was badly abused by her stepmom. 

 

How did she equate this horrible event with "God doesn't exist"?

[Miss Bea]

Our kids who know of Jehovah, but have went their, “Not-so- merry-way”. I used to think even knowing the truth was of a detriment to them. Because of the daily stress they live with. 
I sure don’t think that way anymore. They know of Jehovah, and enough basic details so they, for whatever reason, “jumped ship”. They have more insight than the world. If Jehovah sees the slightest glimpse of a heart that would eventually thrive in the new system, i have no doubt he will act on that. And, unlike the world, they will know, “This is it”, and take action, or not. 
If they, "Hate” the truth enough, to grind their teeth and, “oh well”, it’s on them. You did what you could, Jehovah has done what he could, so, it’s on them, to be blunt. 
Relax, do what you can to strengthen your relationship with Jehovah, and, look forward, to the new system. Knowing just how merciful our Heavenly Father is…

[hatcheckgirl]

3 hours ago, Jwanon said:

 

How did she equate this horrible event with "God doesn't exist"?

If you have ever experienced childhood trauma, it messes with the rest of your life. I’m assuming Lori's ex had something to do in the truth with his partner, hence how the stepmom has abused the daughter.

 

If that’s the case, and I’m understanding this right, I totally understand how it’s happened. My children were abused in our family, Bible bashed with threats of them and me dying in Armaggedon if we weren’t obedient. A lot of threats, gaslighting and some physical abuse. In those days, elders were more hands off. What my family experienced would put anyone off the truth.

 

Essentially, they blame Jehovah because he allowed it to happen, and the elders did not act. They each have gone on to have trauma, physical and mental disabilities. When the father, or stepmom in this case, crushes the children, there is real damage done that can’t be fixed until Jehovah’s new world.

 

Now for me, I can only cope because I trust that Jehovah sees who they really are and what they would have been if they had not had this happen to them. And yes, of course, there is the fact that they can choose to serve Jehovah. But, can we ever really know how messed up their minds have become? This is the most intimate kind of frontal attack - a parent who's supposed to nurture and protect you, beating you mentally (or physically) is far worse than an adult already dedicated to Jehovah facing a Russian guard who is a stranger. And we know how very hard it must be for our brothers undergoing persecution there. They only survive because of their trust and reliance on Jehovah.

 

Here's a scripture that I consider important in this discussion: 

“Woe to the world because of the stumbling blocks! Of course, it is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the man through whom the stumbling block comes!” - Matt 18:7

 

The study guide for “stumble” says: “In a figurative sense, it refers to an action or a circumstance that leads a person to follow an improper course, to stumble or fall morally, or to fall into sin.”

 

So, like all things Lori, please leave this in Jehovah’s hands, for he knows the real reason why your daughter is the way she is. He will always do the best thing in any circumstance. We are happy he understands us through and through. ❤️

[Esined]

4 hours ago, hatcheckgirl said:

This is the most intimate kind of frontal attack - a parent who's supposed to nurture and protect you, beating you mentally (or physically) is far worse than an adult already dedicated to Jehovah facing a Russian guard who is a stranger.

 

Thank you for saying this, it just made me very, very emotional, because this is what I experienced growing up from my dad who was in the truth. It is exactly how I've always felt, but it's so hard to explain to anyone who hasn't been through that. My siblings had worse trauma than I did, and they both left the truth. My brother is agnostic. My dad used the truth as a weapon and made it traumatizing for them.

 

@Lori, only Jehovah can see what's in your daughter's heart, and he sees the whole depth and breadth of her experience and how it has affected her. Your example and your love and support are the best way you can teach her about Jehovah. Take it one day at a time. If we worry about the specifics of the Great Tribulation, we will make ourselves crazy.

 

[ChrisW]

14 hours ago, hatcheckgirl said:

Woe to the world because of the stumbling blocks! Of course, it is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the man through whom the stumbling block comes!” - Matt 18:7

Thank you for that scripture.