Does Christmas Highlight Family Pain?

Do the holidays put you in the path of someone who brings chaotic ups and downs? Perhaps you walk on eggshells in your home much of the time already, but Christmas stress brings even more confusion. We all have people in our lives that make us feel crazy and off balanced. Sometimes, we are able to keep these people at a safe emotional distance from us. Other times, we love these people so much, we feel we've been taken hostage.

You might be surprised to learn that the Bible talks about hard to deal with people. No, I'm not talking about the "turn your other cheek" passages or the "love your enemy" passages, though we might choose to apply those at times. I'm talking about passages such as, "A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions." (Prov. 18:2) That's right. Some people are fools. That's what the Bible calls them.

But, what is a fool? Author Jan Silvious identifies several qualities of fools that can be found in Scripture:

1. Self contained -- Their full trust is in their own resources.
2. Deceitful -- They hid their true nature until they get what they want.
3. Complacent -- They are satisfied with their own way of thinking and will accept no challenge to it.

Underlying all of this is a foundation of selfishness. The fool must protect his or her own interest no matter what.

We are all fools at times, but for some foolishness is a lifestyle. According to Silvious, relationships with a fool are full of anger, strife, destruction, and slander. When a person we love chronically makes poor choices, always thinks he or she is right, and is closed-minded, spiritually empty, or hard-hearted, our lives can feel like runaway roller-coasters. In December, the coasters are decorated with silver ribbons and splashed with eggnog.

Maybe your difficult person isn't as bad as I've described. Most people can't easily be catagorized. We all have God's image stamped on us. So, even fools can have their up side. On the other hand, you might be saying, "My fool is all of this and even more!" Either way, is there hope?

Absolutely, God's word doesn't merely define the problem. It offers solid advice. In my next post, I'll  be sharing tips from Fool-Proofing Your Life, or you can click on the title and order a copy straight from Random House. This is one of the best books I've seen on the topic of dealing with difficult people. Silvious has created a text that is easy to read, loaded with Biblical truth, but doesn't preach at the reader.

And it's just in time for all those happy holiday family reunions!

Gettin' Real!

Melodie

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.