Thanksgiving – Don’t Hide Your Crazy

And all over America this Thanksgiving week, families will be gathering their “crazies” all in one place! It can make for a very interesting (or insert whatever word describes your situation) day!

You know, we southerners have a saying, “We don’t hide our crazy. We parade it around on the front porch and give it sweet tea!” And at no time of the year is that more true than the fourth Thursday of every November – Thanksgiving!

I grew up in a family with 7 kids. With mom and dad, that made a grand total of nine of us. I remember the aroma of the turkey that began roasting at 5 am, the pudding pies in graham cracker crusts, and the stove top stuffing crammed in the turkeys in’ards. We would watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade until it was time to eat. But with that many personalities crammed into a house, sometimes, a little family dysfunction would pop-up like the red pop-up turkey-timer.

Dysfunction and family problems can make for stressful gatherings. Families consist of people and people inevitably have problems – problems that don’t disappear just because it is Thanksgiving.

A few years ago, my sweet Sunday School class was studying the book of Genesis. We all found a lot of comfort and humor in knowing that family dysfunction did not start with our generation. Consider stories such as Rebekah and Isaac…the Bible clearly tells us “Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” Gen. 25:28.  Parental favoritism in this family led to mounds of dysfunction and feuds.

So how can we not only survive our family gatherings this holiday season, but actually enjoy them?

 Here are some practical tips:

1. When someone “bumps into your happy”, don’t react like a shaken soda and go off on them. Hit the pause button on your mouth before you respond.

   He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles.     Prov. 21:23

2. If someone begins to stir things up a bit, instead of getting into a shouting match with them, try a little reflective listening. For example, “So you are angry that your green bean casserole was put at the back of the buffet?” LOL – I know it sounds stupid, but it totally works to defuse anger.

   A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.            Prov. 15:1

3. Choose to “carry your own weather”. In other words, choose your attitude ahead of time. Set your mind on enjoying the day and don’t let other people’s attitudes suck you into a bad place.

   Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world…Phil. 2:14-15

4. And finally, be full of grace and forgiveness toward all of the craziness gathered together in one place.

   Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Eph. 4:32

 So this week, as you gather around the roast “beast” of your family’s choosing…consider each person’s quirks and craziness as just another patch in your family quilt. And remember, we each bring our own brand of crazy to the Thanksgiving table :)! <Tweet This