Don’t you just love a food-covered holiday table about as big as a football field? You’re juggling several buttered rolls and a plate full of tasty side dishes while you’re trying to score some major turkey. It’s a big play. You’ve got to scramble to hit the turkey before all those ravenous relatives leave you stuck with only dark meat. First down and gravy to go.
It’s especially great to have lots of relatives over for a holiday dinner (any “who-gets-the-drumstick” issues aside) because they bring with them a virtually uncontestable excuse to eat in the family room. Sidelined in the kitchen? No-sir-ee. We’re going long. With some fancy footwork, you can swoop up two pieces of pumpkin pie as you bob and weave your way to the goal: the Lazy Boy. Touchdown!
It’s good to have a goal.
It’s good to have goals in how we treat each other through the holidays, too. Grace is sort of like our end zone. The goal. Paul reminded us in Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person” (CSB).
Around this time of year, we’re all keenly aware of the importance of good seasoning. We need to be even more conscientious about the words we use and how we season each conversation. Our goal should be every holiday conversation filled with the wonderful flavor of grace.
I love the way The Message phrases Colossians 4:6. “Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.”
It can become all too comfortable to bring out the worst in others, to put them down with ungracious speech—especially when they’re eating the last drumstick you’re sure was rightfully yours. Instead of lovingly inviting others into grace-filled dialogue, it’s easy to let them get on our last nerve, to exclude them, to cut them out. It doesn’t exactly inspire a spirit of thankfulness all around, does it? I don’t want to play those kinds of holiday games. It’s my goal to consistently offer Jesus-inspired grace in everything I do and in every word I say.
First Peter 3:8-11 gives us another mouthful to chew on. “Finally, all of you be like-minded [united in spirit], sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted [courteous and compassionate toward each other as members of one household], and humble in spirit; and never return evil for evil or insult for insult [avoid scolding, berating, and any kind of abuse], but on the contrary, give a blessing [pray for one another’s well-being, contentment, and protection]; for you have been called for this very purpose, that you might inherit a blessing [from God that brings well-being, happiness, and protection]. For, ‘the one who wants to enjoy life and see good days [good – whether apparent or not], ‘must keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from speaking guile (treachery, deceit). He must turn away from wickedness and do what is right. He must search for peace [with God, with self, with others] and pursue it eagerly [actively – not merely desiring it]” (AMP).
Loving with tender hearts and humble minds, responding to others with blessing. That’s the way to guarantee a happy, peaceful, perfectly seasoned holiday—even if Uncle Mort gets the last drumstick. And even if somebody beats you to the recliner.