Ruth Institute Blog

Christmas is the saddest time of the year in which to feel lonely. We can feel alone in a crowded room, when we feel no one really knows or understands us. We can feel alone because we literally have no one around us. There are so many reasons today why people are estranged from their families. Christmas loneliness may be one of the great unsung stories of our time.

How to overcome this loneliness? Read more…

A superstition is something we believe in spite of the evidence, because we like the way it makes us feel.

For example: “I can solve all my problems if I could just divorce my spouse, and try again to find the Perfect Soulmate.”

Do you remember the movie, Four Christmases, the Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn Christmas movie from 2008?  The premise of this movie is that Reese and Vince have 4 Christmases: one with each one of their divorced and remarried parents.  I wrote a column about this film when it came out.

Popular culture has a way of reflecting the anxieties and ambiguities of our age, sometimes without quite meaning to. Christmas 2008’s bit of holiday eye candy, Four Christmases, illustrates the anxiety around insecure relationships, across the generations. The title comes from the visits that a happily unmarried yuppie couple must make to their two sets of divorced parents. But the movie could be called The Superstitions of Divorce. It strips away the lies we tell ourselves to justify our rejection of one another….

Not a one of these first three parents has learned a thing from their divorces. Boyfriend and Girlfriend are not deceived by their parents’ efforts to absolve themselves: They still have the same problems and crazy behavior. The new love interest doesn’t solve their problems.

Another superstition: “The kids will be fine as long as their parents are happy. Kids are resilient.”

Social science can now tell us for certain that this is untrue, as can millions of children of divorce who are now old enough to speak for Read more…

Hope is anticipating a positive future.

During the Christmas season, sometimes reality does not live up to our expectations. We feel discouraged, which can cause despair. We give up thinking that our lives will ever work the way we want them to, or that our lives and struggles have meaning.  We need an antidote to despair.

One way we can anticipate a positive future is to purify our memories. Our old hurts and resentments weigh us down with discouragement and self-doubt. So does our unforgiven-ness.

We cannot change the past. But we CAN change how we think about the past:

• how tightly we cling to our interpretation of it
• how much blame we assign to people
• whether we forgive ourselves and others

Each one of us is on the battlefield of Good and Evil every day. Satan is “the father of lies and a murderer from the beginning.”  He likes nothing better than to sink his claws into us, and dish out lies to us about ourselves, our relationships and our worth.

He has been at it since that momentous day in the Garden of Eden. But his successes have really escalated over the past 50 years with the lies of the Sexual Revolution.

How can we be hopeful in the face of all that?

God has been at work restoring the cosmos since the day of the first human sin. We can help by letting go of our old wounds and allowing Him to restore US! We can look forward to a better, more hopeful future.

Here at the Ruth Institute, we offer a Recipe for Peace. No matter what may be going on in your life, we think you can contribute to creating an atmosphere of peace within your own families, work places and circles of friends. In this way, we can participate in the peace of Christ the King. How do you remain hopeful? How do you forgive others? How do you let go of blame? Share your thoughts with us at #RecipeForPeace.

Join us on the page, and learn more about the #RecipesForPeace campaign. 

Christmas, the season of peace and joy, feelings which sometimes elude us. When our reality does not live up to our expectations, we feel disappointed. And that disappointment can cause us to doubt: doubt the love of our family for us, or doubt God’s love for us, or doubt ourselves and our worthiness. We need an antidote to this kind of doubt.

Have you ever seen the sign “Believe” that is based on The Polar Express children’s book? I always wonder exactly what the author wishes us to believe in.

I think the idea is that we Believe that there is goodness in the world. We allow ourselves to have the Faith of a child. We let go of our jadedness, our suspicion, our way-too-adult-worn-out-ness. Even if the people in our lives have given us reason to doubt them, we actually do not wish to carry this doubt within us. In our hearts, we want to Believe.

Part of our Ruth Institute Recipe for Peace campaign has to do with each of us becoming Peacemakers. That means we begin with ourselves. So we choose to Believe. We take steps to protect ourselves and take care of ourselves if we need to. But we do not give in to cynicism, or suspicion or doubt.

Jesus is the King of Peace. He told us to believe in Him. And we can do this! We want to believe in Him!

God is in His heaven. You are right where He wants you to be. If you are in a good place, thank Him. If you are not in a good place, ask Him how He wants to transform you and your situation for some greater good.

Here at the Ruth Institute, we offer a Recipe for Peace. No matter what may be going on in your life, we think you can contribute to creating an atmosphere of peace within your own families, work places and circles of friends. In this way, we can participate in the peace of Christ the King.

 

 

Christmas, the season of peace and joy: sometimes, the peace and joy seem elusive. We have too much to do. Or we have old family wounds. Or we are dreading another year of non-stop driving from the afternoon of December 24^th, and all day on Christmas. Going between all the broken and rebuilt families can be stressful, even if everyone is on their best behavior, (which they aren’t always.)

Everyone longs for the peace and joy that this season of Jesus’ birth promises us. Here at the Ruth Institute, we offer a Recipe for Peace. No matter what may be going on in your life, we think you can contribute to create an atmosphere of peace within your own families, work places and circles of friends.

Here is our plan to create a Recipe for Peace.

Have you ever participated in a cookie exchange? Everyone bakes a batch of their favorite Christmas cookies. Everyone gets together at church or at someone’s house. I bring my chocolate chip cookies. Annie brings cranberry date bars. Nick brings Elves’ Cookies. Rob brings oatmeal cookies. Justin brings gingerbread cookies. Jennifer brings fudge. Robin brings a Christmas yule log. Judith brings coconut macaroons.

Each person gets a fresh plate, and takes one treat from each person’s plate. When you go home, you have a delicious variety of cookies to share with your family. And you only had to bake one batch!

Our family at the Ruth Institute would like to share our “cookies:” bits of advice and encouragement. We will be posting ideas for overcoming negative self-talk, handling challenging situations, and creating a place of peace for ourselves and those around us.

We invite you to visit our Facebook page over the next few weeks. You can post a festive or funny photo, or add words of advice and encouragement. You will find that you are not alone, no matter what your situation may be.

We hope you will be ready for Christmas Day with a recipe for Peace!

Visit the page to participate in the Recipe for Peace!