With God's Help

I've never gotten into reading other people's blogs until recently. I was given the address of a friend's family blog, that I knew in high school. It has been so fun because the main blog has all of these other family blogs that I can link into. I have been able to read his brother's and sister's and their children's blogs. It has been wonderful to see how these families are doing. Their triumphs and struggles. How they have persevered and pulled together. There is a definite family "look" and it's been fun to see that too.

Of course many of their joys and sadness's are the same as the rest of us. It never ceases to amaze me how different we can be and yet so much alike. I grew up with the idea that no family was as great as mine. Even though I knew we had HUGE problems I still felt that we were the greatest and closest family in the world. It never occurred to me that every family feels that way about each other.

A few nights ago, driving home from work I started thinking about my nephews wedding and wondered if his oldest brother and his family would be there. I discovered that there has been a breach in the relationship of this son with his father, my brother, and he has chosen to cut himself off from the family.

I have another brother whose daughter has cut herself off from him. I asked myself what it would take for me to make the decision to have nothing to do with a parent, a child, a brother or sister. I asked a friend the same question. I asked my husband what his boundary would be.

For me it would depend on the closeness of the relationship. If it were a toxic friend who I discovered wasn't a friend at all it would be an easier decision. But for a relative I can't imagine any thing that would keep me from them. I may set boundaries and protect myself and especially others if I felt it could be dangerous-but I would never cut them out of my life.

In Sunday school last week the teacher was saying that there are some people who no matter what won't accept the gospel while on this earth, and that we shouldn't waste our time trying to convert them. I really took exception to this remark. We are all born with the spirit of Christ in each of us. The very fact that we are on this earth shows that at one time we KNEW that the plan was right and we voted to support God and his son Jesus Christ. How could you ever give up on someone and call yourself a christian.

I remember a different talk by a general authority that is more in line with my way of thinking. He said that we are all trying to become the person that we were meant to be. How wonderful if when trouble comes we would turn to one another and offer a hand to pull the other up and in their turn they could offer a hand to us. To stand by one another in our weakness, to me, is Christ's way.

I want to talk with my nephew and niece and remind them how short and fragile life is. To please not waste this time in anger only to find that regret is your companion.

We are all in this together. Life is difficult at best. Be generous in your judgements and allow God to heal your hurts. That truly is the only answer. Everything else falls short.