I'm not an expert on family healing, but I know it's not good pretending to be okay if you're not.
Pretending isn't the way to healing.
That's only one thought that's led me to think about how the end-of-year holidays can naturally be a challenge, and how, when there are extenuating circumstances, those normal challenges can be all-the-less healing.
So, this Thanksgiving, I decided not to fight feeling poorly in order to gather for a big meal. Instead, I thought about where life needed the most healing, and I decided to try to get myself together and work on beginning to heal by taking small steps.
I decided to ask just two or three people who have been of special concern, for a trip to a fast-food place that has Christian ownership. That wouldn't have been like going to church, but that might have been a good first step.
The good in going for a quick meal in a sun-filled place, where the food isn't very remarkable and the meal doesn't take long to eat, is that
- The short trip and sunlight can help to ease tensions.
- Food, television, and the whole family don't become distractions.
- Problems associated with being at home are more at a distance, mentally.
- The Christian environment doesn't make prayer awkward, and doesn't pressure anyone to feel like there's the imperative to be together in a possibly troubling church setting.
- No one feels obligated to sit together for long.
- Prayer can be offered freely and more individually.
These thoughts of heart didn't bear fruit for me this Thanksgiving. But, with prayer, maybe one day, some good can come of what I'm thinking.
