Family
Posted by Mark on 12 Dec 2009 at 05:49 am | Tagged as: Uncategorized
With Christmas around the corner, many of us are anticipating spending time with family. For some of us, that is a delightful prospect. Others may have mixed feelings about it. Why is it that family presents such a challenge? One of the reasons is that as “family” we tend to know the truth about each other, or we think we do. Having grown up together, we think we understand how things should be. The problem is that sometimes we are wrong about others in our family and sometimes they are wrong about us. Mark tells us this about Jesus’ family as His ministry was beginning to attract a lot of notice.
“When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him, for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.” Mark 3::20
If Jesus could be misunderstood by His own family, it shows the challenge that the proximity of “family” can present. Sometimes families just don’t get it right. Facing pressure from family members is tough. Jesus didn’t let His family deter Him from His own calling and mission. Neither should we. On the other hand, we should think twice before we put pressure on others because we might be the ones who have it wrong.
So, this year a good plan for the family gatherings might be to seek to listen before you speak. Seek to understand before you seek to be understood. Don’t let family pressure deter you from your calling. Most of all, hug the ones you love, while you have the chance.