Last Sunday, our pastor entitled his Christmas series of messages, “Home for the Holidays.” He reminded us that home is linked with warm relationships. It is usually a comfortable place where we feel contented and connected. It’s a link to our childhood and all those wonderful memories associated with food, family, and friends.

But as he acknowledged, that is not always the case. No doubt there were several people sitting in our auditorium that morning who started to cringe at the mere thought of going home and experiencing once again a whole assortment of toxic relationships.

There is a special pressure on all of us around the holidays. We take a quick peek at that Norman Rockwell picture of everyone gathered around that perfect table and we instantly measure our experiences against that perfection and note that we come up way short! As we remember our childhood and long for connections of love, some of us just remember family turmoil.

At one end of the spectrum, that turmoil might just involve some emotionally immature relatives that spoiled family get togethers with their selfish banter. But on the other end of the spectrum, those memories might focus on angry or missing parents. The recollections might flash dark moments when a narcissist sucked the air out of a room with their selfishness. Or there might be the ugly memory of a mom or dad who had no self- control and ruined the day with furious outbursts.

These folks with wounded memories are sitting all around us.  Some have lost a son or daughter this past year. Some are suddenly responsible for an aged parent, but a nasty disease has stolen their mom or dad’s ability to even talk together. Maybe the family is struggling to use the proper pronouns as their adult children, and their friends descend on the house this holiday.

In truth, going home for the holidays is not always linked to warm relationships and hot cocoa. So how can the child of God reach out and help those folks who are struggling during the holidays?

Well, I would suggest that we direct those who are hurting to THE Father, their heavenly Father. And remind them that the HOME we all need, is HIS. We need to go HOME to the FATHER’S house and meet Him there.

The lyrics from the song Run to the Father help lay out this message:

“I’ve carried a burden for too long on my own. I wasn’t created to bear it alone. I hear your invitation to let it all go. Yeah, I see it now. I am laying it down and I know that I need you.

I run to the Father. I fall into grace. I am done with the hiding, no reason to wait. My heart needs a surgeon, my soul needs a friend. So, I’ll run to the Father Again and Again and Again.”

Let’s share that message this year. And if the holidays are causing you to cringe a bit, may I suggest that you run to the Father again and again and again!