It was a wonderful family gathering for Thanksgiving this year in WA thank God. No angry outbursts or pent up frustrations boiling over from anyone. That's gotta come from God believe me amen to that. Don't holidays with the family have the classic potential of starting out well but breaking bad into petty quarrels and hurled insults over un-settled payback? My family has never had an all out drag out showdown but we've had our share of ongoing skirmishes through the years haven't we all?
I have two older sisters and an older brother. Earlier this week I found out my brother was invited to Thanksgiving and that he was actually going to come from out of town. I was excited but also anxious about that. This would be the first time all of us would be together since my wedding in 1999! My son has actually never met his uncle. There's a bit of sad history there. My brother was once married and they had two daughters. However, the marriage failed and their parental fitness was in serious question. (The only court case I ever did in WA was representing my mother in family court in 2004 to get custody of the two granddaughters. Let's just say the devastating ravages of alcohol and drug abuse are pure evil). It severely strained family relations to say the least.
The two estranged daughters were also going to be at Thanksgiving. In addition I hadn't kept in touch with one of my sisters for about 5 years over petty matters I shouldn't have allowed to affect me. My mother's health is an issue plus my other niece is engaged and was going to be bringing her girlfriend/fiancee to Thanksgiving (gulp).
So there are all of these ongoing issues I pray through for reconciliation and forgiveness for myself and for this family. I'm not one to publicly air the family dirty laundry but I believe exposing darkness to light takes away it's power over us. James 4 says "Mock the devil and he will flee from you." So this whole week I had been making snarky remarks in jest about how bad things could get by Thanksgiving. We had a good laugh about that. When we confront our fears we don't allow them to manifest and build up in even unhealthier ways. Why try to ignore or tiptoe around the elephant in the room. This is the one rare instance I think where my sarcastic directness was actually appropriate.
But thank God for answered prayers. My brother and I both broke down in tears when we saw each other but there was joy and relief as brothers and as friends. We were each other's best man at our weddings. But the whole evening was filled with laughter and reminiscing for everyone. So for at least one evening this family was able to set aside our differences and simply enjoy each other's company after so many years apart. That's a start and so I'm very thankful to God for such an unexpected blessing.
From Pastor Mark’s Heart
November 29, 2015