Of course, the issue with you might not be whether others will enter a family through dating or whatever. You may already have a very extended family. You may have friends who seem like family. There might not be a lot of what I’ve heard teens term “drama” with them – I’m taking that to mean times with lots of tension and heightened emotions, perhaps shouting and such. But, there could be.
The key to that is the same as that of dealing with bickering parents in a divorce. Choose God’s side.
As I note elsewhere, there are so many different possible situations that I can’t cover every one. However, here are some general guildelines when it comes to shepherding in situations with lots of drama.
First, prayer is vital. The Holy Spirit only lives inside believers. However, He is present everywhere. This is possible, as shown, because of Jesus’ death. At the moment of His death, the veil in the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
Because the Holy Spirit is everywhere, He can work in situations to calm them. So, if you see two people fighting, it might take a while, but prayer usually stops them or at least calms things down for a time, even if they’re not Christian.
Second, you need to pray and let God guide you as to whether a situation is safe or not. Sometimes, it may be best to get younger siblings into a safe place till things calm down. Again, there are so many different situations; this may never be a problem for you. However, it’s quite possible this book could be read by someone in a place surrounded by crime or some other problem.
Third, remember that people fill their hearts with things because each of us has a giant spiritual hole in our hearts. It’s a hole only Jesus can fill. Keep encouraging the people in a loving way to fill those holes with Jesus, instead of worrying about worldly things, like dates, money, or whatever. With some, there may even be an addiction. In that case, you need to pray that the person will find help. And, maybe even get a group of their friends together to confront them about it in a loving way.
