December 9, 2021

Thursday

Family Functions

Luke 10: 38-42

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.”

Luke 10:40

Why are family functions some of the sweetest times of our holiday, but also some of our most stressful? Well, every family has problems, tensions, and dysfunctions, and those don’t take holiday breaks. It requires a lot of energy to care for a crowd, no matter how much we love them. Even the godly Martha became overwrought when Jesus brought His disciples for supper.

Here are two suggestions to keep you from being swept away by the stress of family functions. First, don’t be afraid to establish healthy boundaries. Sometimes we need to duck out of the room, escape the mob, let them fend for themselves, and take a nap or enjoy a hot shower. If we’re the ones dropping in on others, sometimes it’s best to get a hotel room rather than crash in the spare room.

Second, make sure you don’t skimp on your devotional time with Christ. Martha needed to take a lesson from Mary’s book and sit at Jesus’ feet a while—and so do you. We love others best by loving Him more.

Read the Bible through in a year

Ephesians 1-3

I love you!!!

© 2000-2021 B. Michael Goerlich