I was thinking about a conversation I had recently with a family member.
This individual is usually embroiled in some chaotic family problems.
These problems have repeated them selves over and over again.
It is like the family is caught up in some type of time warp.

Reminds me of a movie I saw one time.
Think it was Bill Murray that keeps getting up
 and repeating the same Ground Hog day, over and over until he changes his re-actions.
Then he is finally learns the lessons he needed to learn from that day and  he is allowed to move on. Nothing you can suggest to this individual is ever heard.
No positive action is ever taken, that might enable the family to move forward
to a new and brighter future.

I have noticed that there is a grain of truth in a lot of old sayings.

First thing that comes to mind is there are two kinds of people in this world.
You get to choose which one you want to be,
The person  who causes the  problems 
or the person who  helps solve the  problems. 

I  think it is A.A. that uses the saying
about having grace to accept things we can’t change
and wisdom to know the difference between what we can change
and what is out of our control.

The bad news is that we set things in motion by choices we make
but the good news is while God doesn’t always take the bad results from our lives,
He does give  us the grace and help  to get through the difficulties.

Many times we live our lives with nobility of intentions.
 However our efforts to take the high road can be de railed
by other members of our families who are seriously flawed.
 We have to learn to turn that person loose.
Leave  them to God.
You can continue to pray for them, speak kindly to them
 but stop wasting time , money and energy trying
to get them to live up to your expectations.
You effort would be better spent in getting your self ready
to live up to the expectation that God has for you.

 You must be on the look out for that spiritual rock, that may get cast in your path .
 God does not intend for you to carry your burdens alone.
Get help and support where it is needed.
 If your health is the problem, make some changes to a more healthy lifestyle.
Find  a good  doctor and find out if anything can be made better.
Don’t live with pain unless you have no choice.  That is just plain stupid.
 Mental and emotional stress some time can be eliminated
by participation in group therapy or getting  professional help.

We get more opportunity in our home life to grow spiritually than in most churches.

If you are having the same problems over and over again,
 perhaps you are not getting the message for that lesson.
They say the test of insanity is doing the same thing over and over
and yet  expecting different results.

There is a time to pray about a problem , and a time to draw a line in the sand ,
with determination  to change what is causing the problems.

 I believe in praying like everything depends on God
and working like everything depends on myself.

 If your situation involves violence, Get out.
If your problems involves substance abuse. Grow up.

You can change and that will change your life.
Maybe it will only be  one thing at a time ,
Perhaps it will be only  one day at a time,
 but change will come with God’s helping hand.