24 Nov Manage Family Drama

*Excerpt from the Life on Life podcast episode #85 “Tis the Season for Family Drama.” Listen or watch this episode, and read Luke 6:27-26 and Romans 12:9-21 for more Biblical, practical help!

Remember who you are and Whose you are

We’re called to live differently. You can do it! You know why? Because you’ve got the power of the Holy Spirit in you to live beyond yourself; to live differently.

Refuse to gossip

Decide ahead of time to refuse to engage in talking about anyone behind their back. Instead, decide to speak words of encouragement and grace (or simply remove yourself and say nothing at all). If you must vent, talk to a friend who is going to refocus you, recalibrate you under truth, give you words of encouragement and talk you off the ledge. Take your boxing gloves off and pray to remind yourself of who you are and Whose you are because you want to live differently.

Keep a sense of humor

A sense of humor goes a long way. Just lighten up! Be easy breezy. Don’t let things stick to you. Imagine them rolling right off of you. Don’t bring up or get involved in discussions about politics, medical stuff, or vaccines. These are not eternal issues! These things will not matter in eternity, but your relationships and how you treated others will matter. In fact, Ground Zero for demonstrating your faith by how you act and how you love is in your own home and with your own family.

Find common ground

find common ground–especially with the people that you’re most bugged by–and look for the common denominators in your lives. Ask people about themselves. And when you do ask, be sure that you listen. Listen intently, listen closely and then question them some more. People really do appreciate and even like and look forward to when someone asks them about themselves and they can talk about themselves in some way.

Don’t turn your family into a Christian project

By all means, let the love, light, peace and joy of Jesus Christ radiate from you to every person you come in contact with at your gathering! As scripture says, be prepared when someone asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have in Christ. Pray beforehand that your family sees something so refreshingly different in you by the way that you speak, act, and in the way that you treat them that they ask you, “Why? What’s different about you?”

Get out of your head and let Jesus radiate in and through you!

Let him have his way! Literally, y’all think about this: what would Jesus do in this situation? And then do it!

I love y’all!
xo-P❤️