Christmas is a time for family. If you have a wonderful family, your home is probably filled with joy and laughter. You anxiously anticipate the arrival of family members from far-off places. Though your home might feel cramped with the addition of so many bodies, you happily boot the children from their beds and carve out space on the floor for sleeping bags.
If this is the scenario in your home, count yourself blessed. For other families, old wounds and continued slights make the holidays a time of stress. Maybe you have a family member who says hurtful things. Maybe you feel unloved. Maybe one of your family members plays favorites with your kids. All of these things can add up to a feeling of dread when it's time for a family visit.
When it comes to dealing with visitors during the holidays, we should take a page out of Mary's book. Let me set the scene for you. Mary has just given birth in a smelly, dirty stable. As we all know, having a baby isn't a clean process. It's also exhausting. I'm sure she would have simply liked to take a nap afterward. Yet, what happens after she lays Jesus in the manger? Some guys she's never met show up to see the baby. Not only are they strangers, but they smell like sheep. And these guys don't even bring gifts.
Now, I would have been tempted to tell these shepherds to go away and come back at a better time. But, obviously, Mary and Joseph let them into the stable to see Jesus because Luke 2:16-18 says "So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them."
Because Mary was gracious enough to let the shepherds in to see Jesus -- even though it wasn't the ideal time for her -- the shepherds were able to be the first to spread the good news of Jesus. Because of Mary's hospitality, perfect strangers were "amazed." Whether we're dealing with unexpected visitors or planned ones, our attitude toward their visit gives them an impression of God. If we're warm and welcoming, showing them our hospitality, then they can leave having felt the love of God.
I know some people are hard to love, others are high-maintenance visitors, some arrive at inopportune times, but every time we welcome someone into our homes, we are given an opportunity to be a picture of God's love to them. No matter how we feel about someone, God loves them.
Being gracious and doing our best to let God love our difficult family members through us also gives our kids an example of God's love. Our kids can tell from our actions whether we enjoy somone else's company. But we never want our kids to form a poor impression of their relatives because we're hanging onto a grudge or refusing to let God open our eyes to see that person as He sees them. Our attitude toward those who enter our homes during the holidays makes an impression on our kids.
If your kids have trouble getting along with some of your extended family members, remind your kids that God wants us to show love to everyone. Ask them to help you think of ways you can show love to that person while they are in your home. Explain that we won't always receive that love back, but God wants us to love the other person, no matter what their response.
Don't let another person suck the joy out of your holiday season. View a difficult visit as an opportunity for your entire family to be the hands and feet of Christ in showing love to that person. It may be just what they need and they may leave as amazed by the love of God as the shepherds.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
I'm Thankful for Family
Each day until Thanksgiving, Everyday Truth is looking at a different reason to be thankful in a family devotional. Use these devotionals with your kids to help keep your family focused on giving thanks. If you missed the introductory post, check it out here for directions on creating a "Thanksgiving wall." When you're done wiht the devotional head on over to the Everyday Truth Facebook page and join in the discussion of why we're thankful for our families.
God gave each of us a family. That family may look different from home to home, but he gave each of us people who love and care for us. People who protect us. People who are always looking out for us.
You may have a mom and a dad and a bunch of brothers and sisters. Or you may live in a home where you're the only child. Some of you may only live with one of your parents, and some kids even live with their grandparents.
No matter what your family looks like, remember that God gave you the members of your family. He knew we need parents to guide us and siblings to hang out with. He knew that sometimes tough things would happen during the day, and we would need a place to come home to where we would be loved and comforted.
Have you ever had something bad happen to you when you were away from home? Maybe another kid was mean to you or something embarrassing happened to you. Maybe all you wanted to do was go home because you knew your family would understand. You knew they would make you feel better.
Have you ever had a problem that you didn't know how to solve? God gave us families to help us through our problems. He gave us parents to offer us wisdom and to teach us the right thing to do. He gave us brothers and sisters who can listen to us and help us come up with solutions.
God even gave Jesus a family because He knew Jesus would need a welcoming place to grow up. Jesus had a mom and dad and brothers and sisters. He grew up in a loving family. His parents loved Him and guided Him. And His mother, Mary, treasured every moment with Him.
The Bible tells us we each have a role to play in our family. Moms and dads are supposed to teach and guide their children. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 is talking to parents. It says: "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." A parent's job is to teach their kids about God.
Kids have a special role to play in the family, too. Exodus 20:12 says "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." That means kids need to respect and obey their parents.
God created the family as a place where we can be loved and learn about Him. I'm thankful for my family, and I hope you are, too.
Write the reasons you're thankful for your family on your Thanksgiving wall. Pray together and thank God for each other.
God gave each of us a family. That family may look different from home to home, but he gave each of us people who love and care for us. People who protect us. People who are always looking out for us.
You may have a mom and a dad and a bunch of brothers and sisters. Or you may live in a home where you're the only child. Some of you may only live with one of your parents, and some kids even live with their grandparents.
No matter what your family looks like, remember that God gave you the members of your family. He knew we need parents to guide us and siblings to hang out with. He knew that sometimes tough things would happen during the day, and we would need a place to come home to where we would be loved and comforted.
Have you ever had something bad happen to you when you were away from home? Maybe another kid was mean to you or something embarrassing happened to you. Maybe all you wanted to do was go home because you knew your family would understand. You knew they would make you feel better.
Have you ever had a problem that you didn't know how to solve? God gave us families to help us through our problems. He gave us parents to offer us wisdom and to teach us the right thing to do. He gave us brothers and sisters who can listen to us and help us come up with solutions.
God even gave Jesus a family because He knew Jesus would need a welcoming place to grow up. Jesus had a mom and dad and brothers and sisters. He grew up in a loving family. His parents loved Him and guided Him. And His mother, Mary, treasured every moment with Him.
The Bible tells us we each have a role to play in our family. Moms and dads are supposed to teach and guide their children. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 is talking to parents. It says: "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." A parent's job is to teach their kids about God.
Kids have a special role to play in the family, too. Exodus 20:12 says "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." That means kids need to respect and obey their parents.
God created the family as a place where we can be loved and learn about Him. I'm thankful for my family, and I hope you are, too.
Write the reasons you're thankful for your family on your Thanksgiving wall. Pray together and thank God for each other.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Sharing a Meal
We're back into the rush and hurry of the school year. Soccer games started Saturday and hockey practice starts tonight. Our first Girl Scout meeting is next week, and AWANA gears up in two weeks.
After a summer with few regular activities, it's taking me a while to get used to the constant scramble. Wondering if I can magically split myself in two so I can get my oldest to soccer practice and my youngest to hockey practice when they start 10 minutes apart on opposite sides of town is becoming a regular occurrence. Figuring out how to squeeze in a family dinner at least three to four nights a week is tough.
It would be easy to throw up my hands and announce that I'm simply going to make a meal and everyone can eat it when they are home. Some nights, that's what I do. There's simply no way to make sure we all sit down to eat together if we want the kids in bed before 10 p.m. But most nights, I fight the good fight to make sure everyone has something nutritious to eat and that we eat it together.
Whether it's breakfast, dinner or a late snack, eating a meal together is important. It gives us the chance to sit down together as a family unit. It offers us an opportunity to learn about what others were doing when we were apart. It gives everyone a chance to give their opinion on current events and others' problems. And it offers us a chance to laugh together as a family.
Too often, it's too easy to give up on trying to have a family meal every night. Schedules are crazy. Mom or dad has to work late. It's hard to find something everyone likes. But a family meal draws your family together. It's worth the effort to make it a regular occurrence.
Jesus often used mealtime to counsel His disciples. One of the most important conversations Jesus had with His disciples came over a meal. "When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, 'I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.'" (Luke 22:14-16)
Jesus went on to use the entire meal as an object lesson of his death and resurrection for the disciples. Jesus knew that gathering the disciples around the table created a moment of intimacy, and it focused their attention.
Make an effort to make family mealtime a priority. It's an important piece of the day that offers time for teaching, sharing and fun. It draws your family closer. Jesus knew that gathering people around a table offered an opportunity to love them and teach them. View your table as Jesus viewed His -- as a place where your kids can be loved and taught.
Even when the schedule gets stuffed and it seems hard, don't give up on family mealtimes. They are worth more than you can imagine.
After a summer with few regular activities, it's taking me a while to get used to the constant scramble. Wondering if I can magically split myself in two so I can get my oldest to soccer practice and my youngest to hockey practice when they start 10 minutes apart on opposite sides of town is becoming a regular occurrence. Figuring out how to squeeze in a family dinner at least three to four nights a week is tough.
It would be easy to throw up my hands and announce that I'm simply going to make a meal and everyone can eat it when they are home. Some nights, that's what I do. There's simply no way to make sure we all sit down to eat together if we want the kids in bed before 10 p.m. But most nights, I fight the good fight to make sure everyone has something nutritious to eat and that we eat it together.
Whether it's breakfast, dinner or a late snack, eating a meal together is important. It gives us the chance to sit down together as a family unit. It offers us an opportunity to learn about what others were doing when we were apart. It gives everyone a chance to give their opinion on current events and others' problems. And it offers us a chance to laugh together as a family.
Too often, it's too easy to give up on trying to have a family meal every night. Schedules are crazy. Mom or dad has to work late. It's hard to find something everyone likes. But a family meal draws your family together. It's worth the effort to make it a regular occurrence.
Jesus often used mealtime to counsel His disciples. One of the most important conversations Jesus had with His disciples came over a meal. "When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, 'I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.'" (Luke 22:14-16)
Jesus went on to use the entire meal as an object lesson of his death and resurrection for the disciples. Jesus knew that gathering the disciples around the table created a moment of intimacy, and it focused their attention.
Make an effort to make family mealtime a priority. It's an important piece of the day that offers time for teaching, sharing and fun. It draws your family closer. Jesus knew that gathering people around a table offered an opportunity to love them and teach them. View your table as Jesus viewed His -- as a place where your kids can be loved and taught.
Even when the schedule gets stuffed and it seems hard, don't give up on family mealtimes. They are worth more than you can imagine.
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