Every year, when I sit down to write our Christmas newsletter, I think about the highlights of the year, of course. Like other families, I list the milestones and accomplishments such as graduations, new jobs, special trips. Also, like other families, I leave out the painful, negative ways in which we messed up.
I leave out the times that I said something really horrible to a family member. I leave out the times I felt overwhelmed and broke down in tears. I leave out my attempts to influence, i.e. control others around me by giving them unwanted advice, guilt trips or rolling my eyes or making snide comment when they don’t do what I want them to do.
Like everyone else, I try to keep up our image and put on a perfect, happy front. They say one of the problems with social media is that everybody is comparing their messed-up life, or at least slightly unhappy life to everybody else’s seemingly happy, perfect life. My husband calls one of those social media outlets Fakebook. You may even have compared your family life to mine when you see our smiling family pictures.
But rest assured, if we sit down together for a cup of coffee, we’ll both have plenty to prayer about for each other and plenty to confess. And we will have plenty to be thankful for, both the fun and happy times, and the trials.
So in need of the Savior,
Nancy
REALationships 