It’s true in every family.

The sister who always seems to be critical and competing.
The aunt married to your mother’s brother who continually tells you how to raise your children.
The grandparent who insists on telling the same unpleasant story every holiday.
The child who complains and won’t eat anything on the table.
The uncle who insists on arguing about everything and anything.
The ____________________________. (You fill in the blank.)

We all have them. Difficult family members who put us on edge and make us wonder if it’s all worth the effort.

Here are a few tips I’ve gathered that might just help:

1. Cover the day with prayer – Start now. Pray for each person by name and ask the Lord to bless them and your time together.

2. Make table assignments – If you know that Uncle George doesn’t get along with Aunt Patsy put them at opposite ends of the table.

3. Keep everyone busy – Give them jobs before the meal, and plan a game or project for later in the day. Have the children take photos or make place-mats. Set up your Christmas tree without the ornaments – and let them decorate it while you are in the kitchen. You can always move them later if you don’t like the placement.

4. Invite someone new – Inviting someone who is alone for the holiday,  it helps to keep everyone on their best behavior.

5. Write, I’m thankful for you because notes – Place each person’s name at the top of a piece of paper. Without signing any names have each family member write down one or two reasons why they are thankful for them. Read them aloud at the end of the day – and gift each person with their list to take home.

What would you add?

I am praying that each of you enjoy a happy and blessed Thanksgiving. We have so many reasons to praise the Lord for all that He has done for us. Remember He chose our parents and our siblings. He did it for a reason.

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. Ephesians 1:4-6 (NLT)

I’ve been wondering, do we put on our “face” to cover up what’s going on inside?  We think if we make the outside look perfect no one will notice the junk on the inside.  We are afraid that others will judge us, criticize us, or reject us so we try our best to hide our hearts.

Our Heavenly Father sees our hearts, junk and all. He sees us without our masks, even though we so often try to wear them before Him, too.  He invites us to get honest before Him, to repent, and allow Him to wash off our masks through forgiveness.

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:22-23

I used to wear a mask that hid a heart filled with fear of rejection. The truth was that fear couldn’t prevent the reality of rejection. Fear can’t prevent! However, the Lord has set me free! He has healed my wounded heart, delivered me from fear, and used my scars to bless others.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36

My dear sisters in faith have been some of the instruments God used in the process. They are precious gifts to my life! The beautiful sister on the left in the photo recently went home to our Savior. She is  face to face with Jesus. We miss her so much, and look forward to the time when we will join her in glory. She was filled with the love of the Lord and it bubbled over with a joy that blessed everyone around her. She didn’t wear a mask; she wore the love of Jesus.

I pray that you know the blessing of living without your mask. You have been set free! Free to wear the love of Jesus!

{insert awkward chuckle here}

For years I have thought it was some sort of great gift to be able to do lots of different things at the same time. Like it was some sort of super power or something, but it’s not.

I’m not sure if it is from our go, do, right this minute, super-hyper, go, go, go culture or just something that I’ve developed over the years, but in the last couple of months I’ve been hit with the harsh reality that this may not be a good thing.

Yes, absolutely, it is good to be able to handle multiple things at a time. Hey, we’re women and that’s part of what we do, right?

But what happens when we are always in multitasking mode?

I’ll tell you what happens…we loose sight of the right now.

The very present that is right in front of you is missed in the midst of being “productive”.  I’ve seen this in my life and have also witnessed first hand how this can destroy our families, our marriages, our ministries, our lives, and even our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Check this out: In studying to really grab hold of what God is trying to do in my quest for a multitaskers anonymous meeting I found this…

In Mark 12:30-31 NLT it says, Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

There it is. My multitasking can be good in some things, but it can’t be everything.  If it gets in the way of spending time with God, I mean, really spending time loving, praying, seeking and growing closer to Him then it actually gets in the way of what God is doing in my life.

He wants

all my heart,

all my soul,

all my mind,

and

all my strength.

If I am doing a bunch of different things at the same time in an effort to get more done, then am I really giving Him ALL my heart, soul, mind and strength? Not really…it’s only bits and pieces here and there and He deserves ALL of it, don’t you think?

Father God, forgive me for the times when I have been so focused on getting things done that I’ve forgotten that the very most important thing you want from me is to love you, spend time with you and be fully present.  You are a great and loving Father, thank you for loving me in spite of myself.  In Jesus name, Amen.

What’s one thing you can do today to focus on the right now?

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  Hebrews 10:25 NIV

We are in the process of searching for a church home. It hasn’t been the funnest experience we’ve had this year. But, as believers in Jesus Christ, we know the importance of fellowship with other Christians. God’s word mentions many times – the benefits of encouraging and growing from one another.

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

One of the arguments I hear from people is that they don’t need to go to church, they can worship God just fine on their own. Sure, that’s possible, but really, how many of these people are taking time out to read the Bible? How many are truly digging deep to unearth the treasures of His truths and apply them in their life? Most of the time it’s their excuse.

These people may have been hurt by church-going people. I understand that. I’ve been hurt before too. There is a saying that pierces my heart, “A person may never become a Christian because they never knew a Christian… or maybe because they did.”

Friends, sheep bite and the body has body odor. We are flesh and bones, created with a sinful nature. Lets not be surprised when a hurt happens. Our eyes are to be on Jesus, not on people who are poor examples. The Lord tells us not to give up meeting together. His Word encourages us to continue, and no matter what, to assemble together. Don’t tie God’s hands.

He wants to bless you with the fellowship of other Christians. And in turn, maybe you can be the one to encourage future believers, all the more as you see the Day approaching.