Typical sources of holiday sadness include:

• Stress
• Fatigue
• Unrealistic expectations
• Over commercialization
• Financial stress
• Inability to be with one’s family and friends

Balancing the demands of shopping, parties, family obligations, and house guests may contribute to feelings of being overwhelmed and increased tension. People who do not view themselves as depressed may develop stress responses, such as:

• Headaches
• Excessive drinking
• Overeating
• Insomnia

Others may experience post-holiday sadness after New Year’s/January 1st. This can result from built-up expectations and disappointments from the previous year, coupled with stress and fatigue. Here are some helpful steps.

1. Get your focus off yourself (Do something for others)

Proverbs 3:5-6

vs. 5-Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

vs. 6-In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

2. Refocus on right priorities

Mark 12:30-31

vs. 30-And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

vs. 31-And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

3. Just start over again

John 8:10-11

vs. 10- When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

vs. 11- She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

Every family is a ship with a captain, a crew, and sometimes passengers and cargo. It may be a pleasure liner, a research vessel, a boatload of pilgrims headed to a new city, a mercy ship, a cargo vessel seeking riches, or a stinking old tub hanging around port. There are many ships leaving port, each with its own captain, crew, cargo, and passengers. Every ship has a purpose or destination before it leaves port; all on board are participants, regardless of the degree of their commitment, their lives affected by the passage and the destination. No ship is alone. Others are sailing nearby, and the crew becomes acquainted with many ships and their crews. In each port, there is a mingling and exchange of news and gossip. Every crew member is always weighing the possibilities and deciding if he is on the best ship.

No ship is an island unto itself. If a captain were to simply anchor offshore to avoid the corruption of society and to prevent his crew members from being tempted to switch ships, the hands would become very discontent. The ship must be going somewhere with a meaningful purpose, otherwise the crew would not long tolerate the drudgery of their daily duties. There is no romance in simply retreating, in seeking one’s own survival. The thrill of life is in the conquest of the obstacles of life. Many fathers/captains are afraid of failure, so they go nowhere and do nothing but seek to stay afloat just outside the influence of other ships. The crew of a self-quarantined ship will stand at the rail and longingly watch other ships sail past to destinations unknown. They know that those ships going someplace, any place, are certainly more interesting than the stagnant calm in which they must exist. Younger kids will wish for something different, but fear and insecurity will keep them at the rail. However, there will come a day when they can swim well enough to risk going overboard to catch a ride on a passing vessel.

To keep kids from jumping ship and booking passage to a different port, they must have confidence that their ship is going somewhere, sailing to a port that offers tremendous possibilities. They should be able to stand up there on the bow and imagine the great new world to which they are sailing. They must have an exciting vision of great things to come and a hope of being significant in the coming events.

They must have a sense of mission, a full understanding of the history of their captain’s and ship’s endeavor. They should be familiar with those who have gone before and made to know that they are needed to carry on the worthy tradition. Only then will they endure the hardships of the voyage without crumbling under the burden of daily, monotonous routine.

They must be learning to pilot the ship. They should be made to know that they are in training to become a captain of their own ship and that they can be trusted with real responsibility.

They must taste of the glory and the triumph from time to time. They must be kept on the edge of expectancy.

There must be authority on the ship that provides security and promotes admiration. There is nothing more emotionally dissatisfying to young people than disorganization, lack of a top commander who is decisive, resolute, even hard and unyielding at times, but always accessible. The ship must have one authority that is respected. If the chief officer is subversive and disrespectful, it will cause the crew to commit mutiny or to abandon ship in some promising port.

Some of the issues we will discuss will be:

• How to speak to the heart of your child.
• How to mold the identity of your child.
• The balance between legalism and worldliness.
• What about the gray areas?
• Building faith in your child.
• Motivating your children spiritually.

I realize that parenting is a process and that each of us has issues that we are working on in our families. The big issues do not just go away and the small issues only get bigger. And believe me, there are no perfect families.

Often life is about living and learning. Sometimes through the school of hard knocks, sometimes thorough the wisdom we find in the bible, and sometimes through the counsel of others who have learned through the two I just mentioned.

We never stop learning. Each new year of parenting brings its challenges and every individual child has their strengths and weaknesses.

One thing I have learned over the years in that life is all about RELATIONSHIPS! It’s as if God the Father designed it that way. Starting with a relationship with Him, and then with those around us.

Often I have made ASSUMPTIONS about my relationships and have thought that because everything seems to be going well from what I can see and hear, that everything is well. And many times that has been the furthest thing from the truth.

Relationships are WORK! And unless you are REALLY working on your relationships then you probably do not have sincere relationships in your life.

So where do we start? With communication, as I think it is the key to sincere relationships.

What is Pride? It is alternatively described as: an exaggerated opinion of ones self, independence of any authority, or placing oneself at the center of his thinking and sphere of influence. Psalm 10:4 tells us that the wicked will push God out of his thoughts. As he becomes the center of his own world, there’s no more room for God. Psalm 49:11 tells us that they begin to think of themselves as everlasting… thinking they’re invincible and will endure forever. This is the natural reaction of anyone who has no room for God… they themselves become the measure of all things.

What does God think of the proud?

Proverbs 16:5 tells us:

Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

This is echoed all throughout Scripture. God hates pride. From the Old Testament Psalms all the way into the New Testament, the condemnation of pride by God is universal. There’s two illustrations that the Scriptures use to describe the proud: Proverbs 25:14 tells us:

Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.

They’re like empty clouds… all the huff and puff, but no substance behind their masquerade.

Second, Psalms 73:6

Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.

Why is Pride such a major problem in the heart of man? We have to realize that the heart and origin of sin can be traced to pride: Lucifer’s. Isaiah 14:12-14:

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Pride can and will affect every area of our life. First in our thoughts, it will quickly spread to our speech, relationships, decisions, goals, etc. Every area. Nothing within the soul of man will be left untouched by the scourge of pride. So how do we deal with it? First, we must acknowledge its presence and reality: it is sin, and it is in us. Also, we must realize the consequences. Deception, shame… ultimately it will rob us of our ability to see God, and in turn take His glory that He deserves in our lives.

What does Scripture say must be done? I’ll leave you with two passages.

1 Peter 5:5-8:

Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Jeremiah 9:23-24:

Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.