You may have a few in your family, crazy relatives who don't mind taking risks with health, wealth, family, and more. These insane relatives will fight with self and others in order to get their illogical ideas off the ground. They reason, "This will be good for everyone...you will see!" But the reality is that far too often their thoughts and deeds do nothing more than bring heart and headache to relatives and friends.
So what do we do about these mentally handicapped people in our families?
One. Don't encourage them to take dangerous risks. From cheating to drug use, when you know your relatives are bound to try anything, don't say, "Go ahead, do it--I don't care if you kill yourself, you crazy S.O.B.!" If you say words like this, you might be the one at the funeral one day crying out of guilt--beating yourself up about the last words you said to your wild family member.
Two. Keep away from the angry, deceptive, or dangerous relatives when you know they have a history of tricking people into doing crazy things. If a sudden phone call to do something doesn't sound right coming from this wild relative, most likely it isn't.
Three. Pray for your insane relatives. If you know that their parents tried everything else like: medicate them, take them to a psychologist, to church, etc., the least you could do is utilize your faith to help them, help you! Ask God to give you peace, understanding and willingness to help your family member when you can.
Four. Be at peace with all those related to the insane relative. One way is to not talk/visit/help out so much if you find yourself too involved in your wild's relatives life. Limit your time with those family members who are often bitter, angry, and saddened by this troubled person's misdeeds. You can only do and say so much to them, if you find yourself being handicapped as a result of others' issues, distance yourself from them and those who insist on burdening you with all their problems. The last thing you will want to deal with is losing your cool with your own family because you don't know when to let go of troubled circumstances and people.
Five. Learn more about your family history. Notice patterns and other behaviors that might have contributed to your relative's mental handicap. Seek remedies that might possibly help with some symptoms. Don't insist on advising your relatives to take your advice when you know they are irresponsible, nonchalant, and selfish.
Take a moment to think of other things you could possibly do to keep from becoming like your insane relatives. Keep children away from troubled people, because it is very easy for them to pick up on their bad mannerisms.
Nicholl McGuire
