Secrets to Getting Along with Family

You love em but you can’t stop yelling at em.

You look forward to being together, until you actually get together.

I’m talking about your family – the one you’re stuck with for life!

Chances are you are on your way home as you read this post. Tomorrow is the big day: Thanksgiving. It’s your chance to sit down with the handful of people you call your family.

And no matter how many times you’ve told yourself you won’t get annoyed with your mother in law, you’re likely to lose it within 10 minutes of arrival.

You’re probably thinking this year it’s going to be different. You ‘re not going to yell. You’re not going to argue. You’re not going to roll your eyes and walk away. This year, you’re going to be the brady bunch. This year you’re going to put Mrs. Beaver to shame. This year, you’ll sing Do a deer while running around an imaginary fountain.

Ok, ok. I’m getting carried away, but you get the point. I’m praying this year will be different for you, and I’d like to share 4 secrets to getting along with your family to help you do so!

1. It’s not a mistake. When I was ten I used to fantasize about being in a perfect family – you know that family, the one that never argues, lives in a huge mansion, has servants and chauffeurs, and where everyone’s hair is always perfect. Some of you are still fantasizing about that family! But the truth is that God put you in your family for a reason. He didn’t make a mistake. He’s not sorry He did. You are where you are because He wanted you to be there. He knows that that environment is the perfect place for you to become most like Him.

2. Agree to Disagree. You don’t have to agree on everything. You need to get over the notion that your little brother has to agree with you on everything. It’s not gonna happen. Your mother in law doesn’t have to love your turkey stuffing, and your sister in law doesn’t have to love your football team. The key to family unity is in respecting one another and loving them even when you disagree. Sometimes, it’s best to simply stop talking and just eat! Actions speak louder than words anyway.

3. It’s not about You. There is more at stake than your comfort. The time I spend at home can be exhausting. I live out of a suitcase, I sleep in the laundry room and I forego the quiet of my home for the chaos of 13 noisy people instead. When the initial excitement of getting there wears off, I start getting so focused on my rights and my comforts that nothing and no one else matters anymore. Until it’s time to leave, that is. That’s usually when I realize the opportunities I’ve wasted: opportunities to be an example to my young nieces and nephews, opportunities to love those in my family still seeking Christ’s love, opportunities to make an impact on God’s kingdom.

4. Stop Comparing. Get off that facebook and stop asking yourself why everyone’s family seems to be perfect except for yours. First of all, it’s a lie. Don’t believe it. No one is going to put a picture of grandma dumping the casserole down the toilet!! And if you’re single, stop comparing your life to the marrieds. And if you’re poor stop comparing your life to the richer. You get the point. In I Corinthians 7:17 Pauls says “only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.” Paul’s talking about contentment here. You can’t be content and compare yourself to others at the same time. It’s one or the other.

This thanksgiving could be the best of your life. No more petty arguments. No more disgruntled tantrums.

Got any other ideas for getting along with the family? Share them in the comments section!

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