Dear Friends,
Just before our super fun trip to Alaska (see pictures here!), I found that our oldest two children were almost constantly in battle. The words of their lips, the actions of their hands (and feet) were almost always against each other. My last quiet time before the trip had me reading Proverbs 20. Not surprisingly, I found that God had some wise words waiting for me: a Mom in need of advice.
Verse 3 - Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling
Verse 22 - Don't say, "I will get even for this wrong." Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.
and Chapter 21:23 - Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.
So, I pose the question to you: What do you do in your house to help maintain the peace? How would you take these verses and put them into action in your living rooms and back yards?
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Tracey
1 comment:
Oh, we struggle with this too, as I'm sure you saw...with a corollary being the rush to "tattle" and cause grief in addition to the strife. When Mommy's on her game (by God's grace), we review the verses about giving your brother/sister the opportunity to peacefully right the wrong BEFORE taking it to the authorities (parents) -- and accepting apologies and offering forgiveness when this is successful. We get at the heart issue by asking, "Do you delight in your sister's getting in trouble (suffering)?" (Rom 12:17among others).
Also, when they pick at each other in mean ways, etc., we role play different ways they could have conveyed their need/opinion/desire using words that are glorifying to God (Phil 4:8 - words that are noble, truthful, admirable, lovely, etc. -- or at least polite!) This practice provides them an "escape" that they've rehearsed before when they are tempted to sin with their tongues.
All of this requires a healthy dose of God's grace to keep Mommy calm and from sinning in the process of teaching it, of course. ;-)
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