When my husband and I realized that our parents and our siblings were now our extended family, life around our home changed. When we argued about family it was usually the traditions that had been set by one side or the other. We didn't set them up, we just needed to be a part of them for a couple of hours, a few times a year. What really mattered was what we had set up for our immediate family, new traditions that we felt glorified God and in doing so brought joy to our family. Once we looked at family and the obligations that come with them as only a two or three hour commitment instead of a month long drudgery, those little outings never really bothered us anymore. We could enjoy the season of Christmas again because in our home we celebrated the birth of our Savior, not the debt of gift giving.
Ephesians 5(31) For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
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