I learned over the years that everyone or everything else becomes more important when you are no longer in like or love with select family members or your family as a whole. It's not right or wrong it just is. We can' thrive anywhere with anyone without LOVE! What you thought would never be more important than family becomes that when people show they no longer appreciate or love you. You realize that without family support, traditions die. You may be the only person cheering for family while others are deeply wounded by you or others.
Take a look at who you are mentally, physically and spiritually with or without family. Does your world center around them? If so, you will find yourself broken when they cannot return the favors you so generously gave them when you need them most. Do you claim to love family so much that you are steering the entire ship without any input from those who are riding on it? If so, you are controlling--you have a huge ego that needs to be cut down to size. No wonder there are family challenges you might be overlooking. However, there are those things that occur with family that are beyond our control.
Someone stops building/working/dreaming; therefore we can no longer proceed as a whole family. We work with who is willing to maintain family going forward. Sometimes it's just us for a season or a lifetime. There are relatives who prefer to abuse and use others, rather than be kind and respectful. Do we stay, tough it out and continue to experience abuse? Of course, not. However, for the sake of "family" some will go through much anyway. Those who chose abuse placed generations under bondage too--choose wisely!
Listen to what you hear coming out of your family members' mouths, at times you may hear a bit of prophecy, a forecast, of what might be ahead for the family. Would you be so bold as to ask them, "How am I doing? Am I meeting your needs? Do I allow you to be yourself, make decisions...Do you believe I love you? What might you see in the future concerning our family?" Some people who would dare ask these questions might be pleasantly surprised by the feedback or shocked.
As the new year reveals truths about the future concerning our relatives and family friends--those good as well as evil, let us be conscious of the significance of quality family members who are currently in our lives. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water this year! Prepare yourself for major life storms from financial loss to death. Most of all, remember you have a Creator who loves you more than you know! Happy New Year!
Nicholl McGuire is the author of Tell Me Mother You're Sorry, Say Goodbye to Dad and other books.
