Going home for the holidays is frequently more stressful than it is a time of rest and relaxation among friends and family—especially if many of your family members don't love Jesus. Often, however, the greater portion of stress comes because we don't interact with our family members in a godly way.

The temptations that surround us over Christmas break are huge. For many of us they're one of the very few times we really have to spend intimate time with family members that we otherwise speak to only a few times a year. If you were the devil, what would you be doing this time of year?

In other words, why should we be surprised if we find ourselves tempted to crawl into our cave, write off the world, and hold our breath until we return to the Land of Normal? Or —as is just as frequently the case—why should we be surprised when we're tempted to jump out of our cave swinging our club, write off the world, and "rejoice" in the "persecution" we faced yet again this holiday season?

Let's be honest. What we're really doing is sacrificing a true Christian witness for our own comfort, right? I mean, either way, we don't believe that God will actually work through the Gospel to change family members. And that's fine, because we don't really want it to happen, anyway. It'd be so... messy. Better to suffer a little bit of verbal abuse for a week than to have to deal with your Aunt May confessing her sins over Christmas dinner. And forever.

Besides, then we'd have one less excuse to disobey God's command to love, respect, and honor our family, right?

This holiday season commit yourself to being like Jesus. Love your family. Believe the Gospel. Believe it's powerful. Desire God to change you and to work through you when you're really faithful.

In the meantime, read Russ Moore's article on the subject. It's very helpful: A Word About Family Tensions and the Holidays