Tom turkey sits cooling on the buffet, Aunt Lucy’s homemade rolls stand at ready, and empty chairs wait like sentinels for their occupants to come to the table. This is what you have waited for! The exhilaration of finally taking off your apron and sitting down to enjoy your guests is about to be realized.
Then, slicing the atmosphere of thankful perfection, a well timed icy comment is served from the mouth of one individual—like grouchy Uncle Joe or prickly cousin Madge or jealous sibling Rog or the crowd’s angry teen. And, with crafted verbal precision, the message lands squarely on your ego.
Ouch! That hurt!
As the air goes out of the room, all eyes turn to you; what are you going to do? As hard as you tried to cover all the culinary bases, you failed to prepare for this spicy serving of words.
“Holidays are not for the faint of heart, and a plan for resilience needs to be in place right along with the menu.”
Holidays are not for the faint of heart, and a plan for resilience needs to be in place right along with the menu. Here are a few suggestions to deflect the delivery of the fiery dart:
Let it go.
Lay it down.
Leave it behind.
Don’t pick it up again.
This is the perfect scenario for living out the apostle Paul’s words from 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus,” especially at Thanksgiving. Your day is too important and your other guest are too precious to get bogged down in one sour opinion.
The recent series Button Pushers, Controlling Your Reactions During the Holidays from our pastor Chad Hovind at Horizon Community Church gives more runway for this prickly topic. Hopefully, you will find it helpful.
And, please know that I am abundantly thankful for you, dear reader!
Living With Eternal Intentionality®
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom You have sent” (John 17:3).
When have you been in a holiday gathering and watched a verbal scene threaten to ruin the occasion?
What advice would you offer to help the hostess prepare for the unexpected, the unforeseen, and the unwanted?
