A man who can't regulate his emotions forces his wife and kids to do it for him. His kids walk on eggshells & his wife carries the entire emotional weight of the family. This is what we want to see change.

Over Christmas we typically spend time with family and often this can be a difficult and frustrating time. We see all the things that we struggle with, but I want to give you a practical way to truly honor your parents and turn relational frustrations into deep joy and gratitude. Because both honor and dishonor are like download buttons, and we only want to download into our lives the things God has put in our parents, and nothing else.

We quote scriptures that tell us what God did in us, but sometimes we aren’t standing on them, we are hiding behind them. Avoiding our pains, losses, betrayals…and in the name of “faith”, we pretend we don’t need to heal. When we do this, it may not be genuine faith, but rather the fear of not being in faith. We end up not “working out our salvation”, and it merely becoming what we say, but not how we live.

Disguise. Too many attempt to conceal their actual thoughts from themselves and others. And unfortunately, there’s rarely a better way to do so than to be a visible form of Christian. It gives the illusion to ourselves and others that we may be better than we actually are. When disguised, it merely perpetuates self-righteousness and religiosity. It prevents us from truly feeling loved, because the disguise takes it all and we get none of it. In other words, evil uses disguises to keep us from the love we all so desperately need.

Nurturing your own development isn’t selfish. It’s actually a great gift to other people. Rick Hanson. We all know we need to put our oxygen masks on before assisting others. What do you do to take care of yourself so you can better take care of your family? I make sure and take a walk at least once a day. Usually with my wife Lauren…and journal.