This morning was just like every other morning.
The kids have their routine down to a relative science and don’t require a whole lot of intervention. This allows me to watch the news or peruse the internet or check out what my FBF’s are saying and thinking. (i really should be more interactive with them at this time and intentional about influencing their spirits for a day in the world, but that’s another post for another day)
Occasionally - and usually – the normal sounds of business are interrupted by a squeal or howl indicating a dash of chaos has broken the peace. This morning it was my 8 year old being scratched by my 11 year old.
Now i’m one of those parents who assumes that no one is innocent. It’s a philosophy which stems from a Biblical view of human nature that i’ve found serves family dynamics quite well. What ensued was a conversation – inquisition actually- which involved me asking each daughter alternately, “…and what did you do to cause that?”
At the very end something struck me and i pulled the word “jingoistic” out of a dark recess of my brain. (i’m not sure that helped but, after all, it was a teaching moment.)
My 11 year old has all the power.
i reminded her that “to whom much is given, much is expected”. It’s her mandate to be responsible for adding to the peace instead of the chaos. Granted she’s only 11, but that’s the lesson. The key to obliterating enmity is ”whenever possible, and as much as it depends upon you, live at peace with your neighbor”. Unfortunately, that requires the party with the power to “consider not only their own affairs, but the affairs of others; and in doing so also consider others better than yourself”.
It’s against our nature.
So i asked her, “why didn’t Jesus just kill all his enemies?”
Nicely done. I’m already trying to play the “responsibility card” with Mitchell over his little brother Landon. Since they are 28 month and 9 months respectively… I probably have a long way to go. At least the journey is a lot of fun!