Christmas Wrap Up: Two Families

When I saw this sign, I thought, this is true on two accounts.

First, today (Christmas) is a wonderful opportunity for family members to "get all wrapped up" with one another. For some families, that is easy. For others, it's tough.

Some families exude the kind of love and kindness that are the hallmark of this "hap-happiest day of the year."

I am so grateful for my own family members who selflessly care and pray for each other. They don't hold grudges. They respond rather than react. It is a joy to spend time with them ... and not only during the holidays!

Other families have to wade through the drama of past hurts and present bitterness. Times of joy together seems so impossible, such a sad struggle. Sad to say, I even see this in some Christian families who have never learned the power of forgiveness.

I encourage those who struggle with relationships not to give up! Figure out how to reach out ... and keep reaching out ... until those relationships are rekindled or restored. It truly would be the best Christmas present you could give one another.

A one-day holiday may not be enough time to accomplish this great task, but it is so worthwhile to make the choice to love. (A helpful resource is the book Choosing Forgiveness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.)

But second, I'm also thinking today of the family of God.

I'm thinking that the the best—or at least, one of the best—gifts God gave to His children (Christ-followers) is a "family all wrapped up with one another."

I thank God today for my Christian family members. I am grateful for their encouragement. Their prayers. Their wisdom. Their counsel. Their love. And so much more.

It is because Christ came that we have this forever family.

And because of Him, we'll have an eternity to grow in our relationships together.

But even now, we can learn to model the character of God in our relationships.

There is great insight for relationship-building in Ephesians 5:1-21:

• We can learn to walk in love (5:1-2), just as Christ has loved us (John 13:34-35).
  
• We can learn to walk as children of light (5:8-10) in all that is good, and right and true (Philippians 2:15; 1 John 1:7).
• We can learn to walk in wisdom (5:15-17), using discernment (Proverbs 2:6; James 1:5, 3:13, 17).
• We can learn to walk in the Spirit (5:18), filled with the fruit of that relationship (Galatians 5:22-23).
• We can learn to walk in gratitude (5:19-20) with a joyful, worshipful heart (1 Thessalonians 5:18; Colossians 2:6-7; 3:17).
• We can learn to walk in humility (5:21), submitting to one another (Philippians 2:3-4).

In other words, we can make much of this marvelous gift God has given us — a family in Christ!

Merry Christmas to my Brothers and Sisters in the Family of God!

Are you part of God's in Christ forever family? If not, here is how you can become a Christ-follower.

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is the creator of three blogs: Heart Choices Today, LOL with God (with Pam Farrel), and Upgrade with Dawn. She is the Director of the San Diego chapter of Network of Evangelical Women in Ministry (NEWIM San Diego) and is a contracted researcher for Revive Our Hearts. She and her husband Bob have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.