I recently read a book When Faith Causes Family Friction by
by Dr. Ray Guarendi. He is a psychologist who has a regular show on the Catholic EWTN network on TV and radio. Has a number of interesting replies to questions he has received.
Note: I am not a Catholic myself, nor is my wife. I respect their faith but hold to my differences with them. I am a rarity in that I take in information from all kinds of sources.
Much of his attitude is that when family members disagree we are not ever going to change them, so we have to adjust to them. Forcing them to listen to our disagreeable lectures turns them away.
Sometimes, he says, people will change later when they see how we conduct ourselves and how we are loving while disagreeing. My problem is I’m not that role model of
admirable living. I battle anger issues of my own, for example. But he offers some hope that things might be better in the future for most families.
P.S. I used to work at a library and if you would rather borrow a book than buy it (as above book) you can ask your public library for an interlibrary loan. Another library sends the book for you to borrow.
I wish you the best.
“I recently read a book When Faith Causes Family Friction by
by Dr. Ray Guarendi. “
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Oh, my. You rock. At least with your current posting!
I became a Christian prior to my beloved husband. It drove me absolutely nuts. Not a good thing as it was an indication of really, really being a newbie to Christianity. Lack of trust...being the issue.
My pastor, kindly and yet firmly (!) told me to not talk about it just to live it as best as I could as the decision was my beloved’s to make willingly. It short of killed me because by nature I am not patient. (Hey, going to blame the fact that I’m a redhead on that one.) Eventually, my beloved did accept Christ as Savior.
Did we still have rough patches? Oh, my gosh. Yes, with all capital letters. LOL
It was with my father though, that took a nudge from the Lord via my pastor to be quiet. There was a sermon and message about listening to what the Lord instructs and I finally cooled down the on-the-phone diatribe. It’s not easy to admit that’s what I had started to be like, even though it was because of concern. It was true, though.
So now I pray for my adopted sister, and her family. My dad, however, let’s his Irish side come out and when he does I remind him we’ve agreed to not talk back and forth in the old way. I still hope one day for him to speak with her or her family. After 911 she and her husband asked my father about Jesus and the Lord God and my father, from what he told me, was he didn’t feel it was his job to talk to them since they were Muslim.
That’s what caused me to have such concern with my dad. Still, it cannot be forced. I will try to get that book. I still have so far to go with my own ‘Irish’ coming out.
LOL
Amazing, how folks can give so assistance as you did! It’s wonderful to hear my pastor’s advice being validated!