1. What do all of us desire for our relatives?

“FROM the moment I learned the truth, I’ve wanted everyone in my family to be with me in Paradise,” says a sister named Pauline.b “I especially wanted my husband, Wayne, and our young son to join me in serving Jehovah.” Do you have relatives who have not yet come to know and love Jehovah? You likely feel the same way about them as Pauline felt about her family.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP OUR RELATIVES?

6-7. Give an example that illustrates the need to show empathy to an unbelieving mate.

⁶ Show empathy. Pauline, mentioned earlier, says: “At first, I wanted to talk to my husband only about spiritual things. We had no ‘normal’ conversation.” However, Pauline’s husband, Wayne, had little Bible knowledge and did not understand what Pauline was talking about. To him, it seemed that all she thought about was her religion. He worried that she was joining a dangerous sect and was being deceived.

⁷ Pauline admits that for a while she spent a great deal of time during her evenings and weekends with her spiritual brothers and sisters​—at meetings, in preaching, and at social gatherings. “Wayne sometimes came home to an empty house and felt lonely,” says Pauline. Understandably, Wayne missed his wife and son. He did not know the people they were with, and it seemed that his wife’s new friends had become more important to Pauline than he was. Wayne reacted by threatening to divorce Pauline. Can you see ways in which Pauline could have been more empathetic?

8. According to 1 Peter 3:1, 2, what is likely to make the biggest impression on our relatives?

⁸ Let your conduct speak for you. Often, what we do makes a bigger impression on our relatives than what we say. (Read 1 Peter 3:1, 2.) Pauline eventually realized that fact. “I knew that Wayne loved us and didn’t really want a divorce,” she says. “But his threat made me realize that I had to start doing things Jehovah’s way. Instead of talking so much, I needed to set a good example through my conduct.” Pauline stopped pressuring Wayne to talk about the Bible, and she began conversing with him about everyday matters. Wayne saw her become more peaceable, and he saw their son become better behaved. (Prov. 31:18, 27, 28) When Wayne observed the good effect the Bible’s message was having on his family, he opened his mind and heart to the message from God’s Word.​—1 Cor. 7:12-14, 16.

9. Why must we persevere?

⁹ Persevere in trying to help your relatives. Jehovah sets the example for us. “Again and again” he gives people the opportunity to respond to the good news and gain life. (Jer. 44:4) And the apostle Paul told Timothy to persevere in helping others. Why? Because by doing so, he would save himself and those who listened to him. (1 Tim. 4:16) We love our relatives, so we want them to know the truths found in God’s Word. Pauline’s words and actions eventually had a good influence on her family. She now has the joy of serving Jehovah along with her husband. Both of them are pioneers, and Wayne serves as an elder.

Pauline, mentioned earlier, invited brothers and sisters to her home so that her husband, Wayne, could get to know them. Wayne recalls how one brother helped to break down barriers of misunderstanding: “He took a day off from work just to watch a ball game with me. And I thought, ‘He’s normal!’”

16. Why should we invite our relatives to attend meetings?

¹⁶ One excellent way to help our relatives is to invite them to attend congregation meetings with us. (1 Cor. 14:24, 25) Wayne attended his first meeting​—the Memorial—​because it was after work and the program was relatively short. “I did not understand what the talk was all about,” he says, “but I remembered the people. They came up and welcomed me and shook my hand firmly. I could tell they were sincere.” One couple had already been especially kind to Pauline, helping her with her son at meetings and in the ministry. So when Wayne eventually decided that he needed to understand more about Pauline’s new beliefs, he asked the husband to study the Bible with him.