WORK ON TOTAL ACCEPTANCE OF YOUR FAMILY
“Therefore, if you are
presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that you brother has
something against you, leave your offering before the altar and go; first be
reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”
“If your brother sins; go
and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your
brother.”
“Then
“Whenever you stand
praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who
is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. [“But if you do not
forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your
transgressions.”]
It is said that often what we overlook in
others we find difficult to in our closest relationships – our family. Sometimes our expectations are high for our
family and we become offended very easily because of it. Instead of accepting them as they are, we
want them to live up to our expectations of them.
Ask yourself – if your neighbor spilled a
glass of milk on the floor, how would you act?
Do you act the same way with your own child? Do you act disappointed, angry, or
frustrated? Yet, your child is the one
you love with all your heart – not your neighbor.
It would help if you would set yourself up to
love unconditionally and let your children know that you do. Try to become less judgmental and more
unconditionally loving. Your love will
be rewarded with love returned.
We see the best and worst in our family. Often, our family members can bring out the
worst in us – they push our buttons like no one else. This innocent tendency is due to the simple
fact of familiarity. Our family members
are completely comfortable with us.
Often, they see our potential as well as our weaknesses. Because they know us so well, they are more
likely to see our flaws and our absolute humanness. Rather than struggle with this fact, we can
learn to appreciate it. In a way, it’s
comforting to know that we can be ourselves – and be loved anyway!
The only way to move beyond getting upset
about all of this is to accept it as par for the course – to know that it’s the
same for everyone else. Know that there
are no exceptions and that it’s okay. In
fact, it’s actually good for us. It
certainly keeps us humble. Think about
it … you’d probably never put up with strangers’ speaking to you the way your
children or spouses do! As you learn to
accept, rather than fight, this family trait, you’ll begin to see the humor in
it. You should also realize that you do
the very same thing to your family members.
So relax and give them a break.
Despite the way it sometimes feels, they really do love you, and their
behavior is often a gift in disguise.
You would miss them if you didn’t have them,
so learn to appreciate them and love them in the middle of what seems like
chaos.
