It’s almost that time of the year.

It’s the wonderful time of the year that we celebrate Thanksgiving, and the
Christmas season. The time of the year where we gather with family members eat
traditional meals and yes, we may even attend church services together. It’s a
time where all of the generations get together and family history and family
values, are shared and passed down to the next generation. While some of this
information is openly stated often the information is passed down unspoken.

Don’t underestimate the power of family traditions and family gatherings.

Sure you may have to tolerate Auntie Sophia’s not-so-good cornbread that
she insists on cooking every year (it has become a part of the family tradition).
You may not agree with Uncle Gerald’s tendency to drink. Most relatives are
savvy enough now not to smoke around children. You may be a vegetarian and
the rest of your family may eat whole animals at one sitting.

But never underestimate the power of family traditions.

Your teen will belong to a larger group. They won’t feel a need to give in to
peer pressure nor peer approval, if there is a large extended family standing
behind them. They will belong to a group of people who share with them more
than a meal. These people share common history, family recipes, family gossip,
and family trials. If the family shares the love of Jesus, this is even better.

This common thread of Christian love will flow through the entire family. It
permeates through our relationships, and it colors our values. It dictates how we
treat each other; provide hours of family discussion, and it governs how we solve
family problems. The love of Jesus is not the same as the love of denomination.
The love of denomination separates us from each other. Causes family arguments
and spurs debates. That ruins family togetherness.

Remember this is the season to love and share. The season to rejoin our
families, catch up on family values, and gossip, share good food, and maybe not
so good food, tolerate each other’s differences, and most importantly share the
love of Jesus. (We can get back to sharing our love of doctrines after the holidays.)

Never underestimate the power of family traditions, especially when the
family shares the love of Jesus as a common thread.