What do you fight about?

I heard a blood curdling scream from the other room, followed by the cries of my other child and then a smack.  I had been sitting at the computer, and leaned my head back closed my eyes, took a deep breath and went to encounter the argument head on.  Apparently my youngest daughter was playing with a stuffed giraffe that my oldest daughter sometimes sleeps with.  Amidst the crying and tears, I was able to formulate the events that took place.  My youngest daughter had gone to the toy room and gotten the giraffe (a green 16” giraffe with brown spots) out of the room and brought it into the other room.  Here, the older sister saw that the coveted giraffe was not in her room and grabbed it from her sister.  The younger one screamed and bit the older sister who then cried and hit the little sister.  As I took another cleansing breath I began dealing with the issue at hand.  It is very difficult to reason with a 2 and 3 year old and let alone a woman, so we ended up agreeing to do some quiet times in their individual rooms. 

It is amazing what kids fight over.  What side of the Popsicle they wanted to get, what stroller they get to ride in or seat they get to sit in.  What plate they get to eat off of for dinner that night, what spoon they get to use.  The reactions to these simple little things seem to be life or death.  My oldest has started to use the phrase “but I really, really want it”.  It brings me back to the quote that I blogged on a while back – God gives us kids so we know what we put him through.

I am sure God sometimes looks at us with wonder saying “the things that they fight over!”  The things that we, as Christians, fight over are ridiculous some times.  There are fights over rules, laws, whether to dance or not to dance, to allow clapping or not to allow it in church, these things have to seem so trivial to God.  I have learned that it is all a power struggle.  I have power over you, you have power over nothing.  What I want matters the most.  What we, as a group, want matters more than what your group wants or needs. 

This all brings me to another quote that I have found oh so useful lately and blogged about it too, “you don’t have to attend every argument you are invited to”.  Maybe, if we choose only the arguments that actually matter, like worrying about scripture instead of ourselves, then there wouldn’t be so much fighting all the time.  This leads me to my next, and most important quote as it is from the Bible. 1 Corinthians 10 31- 11:1 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God – even as I try to please everybody in every way.  For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.  Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.”