My husband and I spent Thanksgiving week with his brother and family in warm/sunny Florida, which was just what I needed—to fill up on as much vitamin D as possible before a season of SAD sets in (“snowbird” status is in my future, as these MD winters are getting to be too hard on my health). It was a really nice time. I’ve always been more of a homebody and not much of a traveler, but every few years I get an itch to be more adventuresome, and I can tell that the Lord has me in one of those years (a refreshing change). The only thing that beats fried oysters at my grandmother’s on Thanksgiving is an equally good, home-cooked meal by the ocean in the warm sun.
My husband and his brother had several years of little communication. A couple of years ago, they meet up and reconciled, but contact was still sparse. Our trip down south presented a real opportunity for them to reconnect, get to know each other, shore up some things, have fun, and laugh. Needless to say, the Lord accomplished all of that and then some. My daughter got to meet her cousins for the first time, and they had a blast. Thank you, Jesus, for redemption in relationships!
The enemy LOVES to wreak havoc on the family dynamic. All families experience strife and disconnection to some degree, but the enemy loves it when family members don’t speak, talk negatively about each other, even sever all ties. One of the easier ways this is accomplished is through the demonic spirits of gossip and slander.
Gossip is so dangerous because it’s like a rumor. By the time the story gets from point A to point B….to point F, it’s changed form a few times. Facts are misinterpreted, forgotten, ignored, omitted, and changed. So is the character of the subject being talked about. The person you’re talking about will be perceived differently by another person each time the story changes hands. End result: lies, misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and relationship ruin.
Seems like no one wants to get together to talk things over. When there’s tension, it’s easier to ignore or avoid it. But it doesn’t go away should you decide to talk about it with someone else. It escalates.
Conflict resolution in families is no different than in any other relationship. The Lord expects us to always forgive and go to our brothers and sisters in Christ to talk it out. We should take problems to prayer first –by petitioning Jesus, not calling another family member on phone (who may or may not be involved or privy).
I was grateful to see the spirits of gossip and slander extinguished this week. All of the rotten fruit got buried at the foot of the cross. Jesus gave both brothers a fresh start and renewed their love and respect for each other.
What a beautiful thing to witness.
