I’ll Be Home For The Holidays
If the holiday season brings anything to light or painfully reminds us of something, its that our families are incredibly imperfect. Visiting family during Thanksgiving and Christmas can awaken a billion emotions ranging from gratitude and affection to anger and feeling unsafe. It can take one political topic, one deeply rooted family disagreement or one eye contact from someone who has hurt us to ruin the event, destroy positive expectations, and leave one feeling alone, hopeless, and in great internal agony. Sometimes, our deepest suffering can be tied to our family, and that is hard to process. It may leave some with the dreaded question of whether it’s even worth it to go home for the holidays…
Regardless of where you stand on the range of possibilities described, there is a promise to cling to, and a challenge to apply for those who have placed their life and trust in Jesus. And despite the bad news you may encounter in the coming weeks, there is good and constant news in the hope of the Gospel.
The promise to cling to is the reason you placed your faith in Jesus: God has written your story, God is in control of this broken world, and God is at work in and through you until the day of His return. The promise is that God makes right what has been wronged. God delivers Justice on our behalf. God advocates for the matters and concerns of our hearts. And even though this does not tie every family dysfunction into a beautiful and reconciled bow, it beckons us to remember that God shares in our suffering, and the story is far from over.
The challenge to apply is to imitate Christ in front of our families this Holiday Season. The command and the will of God for us is to embark on a crusade of goodness, grace, and love even when our family does not deserve it, even when our family does not accept it, and even when our family does not believe it.
The gospel has made it clear. God has given us the power of His Spirit to do hard and brave things for the glory of His name. For the saving of the lost. And for the sanctification of our own lives. Often, some of the most difficult and yet beautiful work God does in His people is through lives of their deeply imperfect family members. God will use anything as an instrument of conviction, grace, and refinement.
So, here is where I conclude my article. Solving none of the difficult conversations or painful moments waiting around the corner for you. Because I really didn’t tell you anything that you and I do not already know in our hearts. God has revealed His will and His goodness.
As you walk into the homes of your family, do not lose hope. Be steadfast in your commitment to love others. And trust Jesus with every unsolved issue, unreconciled hurt, and unfair circumstance.
I promise you, He is faithful.
