The Family Under Stress

(June 17-21)
This week we talked about family crises. As Derek and I read the chapters in the textbook, we thought about things that our family's have gone through and what would really qualify as a crisis. It seemed that the examples listed in the book were all really extreme, or at least they were made extreme by the attitude the family took. I feel so blessed to have been raised in a family where most, if not all, conflicts and crisis events were handled with perspective. At least in my eyes, my immediate family never experienced a crisis in ways that most families do. I'm grateful to my parents for that.
That's not to say that our family hasn't experienced stress. In fact...we've experienced a lot. One definition of stress reads: Stress is the body's reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental or emotional adjustment or response. Hence, family stress is when an event causes change--upsets the balance--and requires adjustment within the system. There are so many different coping mechanisms for stress. I think the Monnett's method is what we in the church like to call "eternal perspective". Growing up, I always felt that anything that happened to our family could be overcome, and we would all be ok--that in the long run, it really didn't matter. There were other coping mechanisms utilized of course--no family is perfect--and some of them were not quite so peace-giving. I know that I often reacted by shutting myself in my room, or isolating myself. Others reacted by fighting out the problem, and still others by pretending they were ok when they weren't.
And I have to be fair; one reason that my family's "crises" were handled so well and minimized is that we really have experienced relatively few tragedies. No one in my immediate family has passed away or experienced serious illness. None of my nieces or nephews have come to harm. Three of my grandparents are still living, and the other's temple ordinances have been performed. So really, all things considered, I have lived a charmed life. I know that my family has experienced tremendous blessings, and I'm so grateful for the way my parents taught us to look for the positive. I pray that when conflicts and challenges come to my family, Derek and I will be able to handle them in the way the Lord wants us to, and always turn to Him for help.