Christmas is about a lot of things...

....I just wish someone would tell my family that.

I won't make nice about it or mince words: There is and has been for quite some time a lot of bad blood amongst my family. Mainly my extended family, branching out into aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. I won't relive all the tales and stories and fueds because frankly, this isn't the time - or season - for it.

But I wish with all my heart and pray repeatedly that someday, somehow, my family could make peace among themselves. Sometimes I get so mad at God and want to know why he won't change my family. And then, as if reading my thoughts, God (or Max Lucado, actually) dropped this email in my mailbox: Dealing with Difficult Relatives

I don't want to post the entire email here, but some things that really caught my attention:
Does Jesus have anything to say about dealing with difficult relatives? Is there an example of Jesus bringing peace to a painful family? Yes, there is.
His own.
It may surprise you to know that Jesus had a difficult family. If your family doesn't appreciate you, take heart, neither did Jesus'.

Having your family's approval is desirable but not necessary for happiness and not always possible. Jesus did not let the difficult dynamic of his family overshadow his call from God. And because he didn't, this chapter has a happy ending.

What if Jesus had disowned them? Or worse still, what if he'd suffocated his family with his demand for change?
He didn't. He instead gave them space, time, and grace. And because he did, they changed. How much did they change? One brother became an apostle (Gal. 1:19) and others became missionaries (1 Cor. 9:5).
So don't lose heart. God still changes families.

I think I've shared this story before, but the signifigance of the chocolate covered cherry in the photo above is a reminder of what Christmas used to mean to me - not about this nasty tasting concoction that most people enjoy about the holiday season.

It reminds me of one person, my Granny Cole, who made Christmas special every single year, regardless of her own circumstances. Who went out of her way no matter what to make sure we all had something special from her. She is the one person my heart aches for on Christmas. Because no matter what, her love was always there. Whether it came in a box of chocolate covered cherries or a simple pair of socks.

So instead of pleading with God and praying him to change my family and the circumstances we are in, I'm going to pray for them instead. That God will warm their hearts to let go of the past. To forgive others as he has forgiven us. So that with each year that passes instead of growing further apart, we draw closer together and love one another.