Every family has at least one person who tests everyone’s patience at gatherings. We seem to walk on eggshells around that person, wondering when the proverbial shoe is going to drop. We cringe when that topic gets brought up, or when someone’s tone shifts from warm to sharp.
Holidays have a way of putting every relationship under a microscope. Maybe that’s why they also reveal how much we need grace. Grace given and grace received, because we should be allowing it to guide our thoughts and actions at all time.
When the Rolls Burn
One Thanksgiving, everything felt fragile. My mind was on someone we’d recently lost, and tension lingered around the table. I burned the rolls, snapped at my kids, and felt tears sting my eyes.
Then someone told a joke. An unexpected, silly one that broke the heaviness like light through clouds. Laughter softened the moment, and grace slipped quietly back into the room. It reminded me that grace doesn’t erase pain, but it does create space for the beginnings of healing to take place.
The Call to Clothe Ourselves in Grace
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones… forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” — Colossians 3:12–14 (ESV)
When Paul talks about forgiveness, he doesn’t speak as if it’s easy. He speaks as if it’s necessary. Grace sees the person behind the behavior. It chooses to restore what frustration tries to ruin. Jesus didn’t wait for perfect people. He moved toward the broken with compassion. And we can do the same.
Grace Is the Glue of GATHER
To GATHER: Give Attention To Honor Every Relationship means leaving room at the table for imperfect people. That also includes ourselves. It’s choosing to see hearts before habits.
Sometimes grace looks like listening. Sometimes it looks like letting go. And sometimes, it looks like laughter after burned rolls.
The Rooted Reflection
Grace is never wasted. It has a way of circling back and softening the places where hurt once lived. This season, don’t aim for perfection, aim for connection. That’s how we live the heart of GATHER.
