More on Family Relationships

As was established in the last blog post, I believe the holidays are a uniquely challenging time for most families due to unmet expectations, unfulfilled hopes and general disappointments. I am speaking this from experience. For many years it has felt like a dead end street navigating these important yet sensitive relationships with others. Once I had grieved about the hurts that have been caused in those relationships and engaged in forgiveness there are things that I came to realize (through the help mostly of my husband and the Holy Spirit) that are vital to the process.  When I prioritize my own health (emotional, physical, spiritual, mental) and that of my nuclear family, I have broken the chains of bondage to other’s responses and am free to model what wholeness in Christ is all about. I have recently (at Thanksgiving and yesterday specifically) seen God's hand move in me and my husband's family in ways that only God could orchestrate. Satan wants to see us discouraged about our family relationships and believe that they cannot change. This is a lie! Unfortunately, familiarity with our family (notice the same root word ☺) sometimes breeds disbelief.  Remember in Mark 6 when Jesus was in His hometown and could do no miracles? It wasn’t for lack of power on His part but rather for a lack of belief on the part of the people that knew him best! We, like these people, can both be labeled and label those in our families in ways that do not allow for the change and freedom that Jesus came to bring. If we have been changed by God then He is able to do it for anyone! My encouragement for you all is that by working on establishing ourselves in the wholeness of Christ that He will help us to navigate and reflect that wholeness to others that they might be moved to do the same.

Authored By Katie Rivera of The Baton Pass