“Nobody
listens to me!”
“I’m
bored. We never do anything fun!”
“You’re
bothering me. Go away.”
“You’re
all being annoying. I’m leaving.”
These
four sentences could be said at any time by any person who lives in my
house. As a group, we can get along
fairly well, but not always. Individual
needs sometimes take center stage, to the detriment of our relationships. And to the peace.
The
facts are that
We
do listen to each other.
We
do fun things.
We
want to spend time together.
We
love each other.
But
sometimes, we can only see one way. When
irritated, our irritations become too much of a nuisance and cloud our
judgment. We only see a part of the
picture, and we don’t like what we see.
We feel put upon, harassed, misunderstood.
And
we pout, blame, and push each other away.
I
feel like this is normal, that all families bicker and complain and get on each
other’s nerves. We are all human, after
all. Just because we normally enjoy each
other’s company, we also all have feelings and get hurt and offended. We voice our displeasure and use words to
hurt.
We
all want our way at the same time. But
this is ridiculous. A family can’t be
pushed and pulled in four separate ways and still function properly.
The
Bible is filled with instructions on how to live life. If you have a problem with someone, go to
that person and have it out with them (Matthew 18:15). Watch what you say; it affects your
reputation (Proverbs 11:12). Do the work
that you were asked to do without complaining (Colossians 3:23). The book of
Proverbs contains wisdom from King Solomon, the wisest person in the land. Jesus’ ministry focused on the right way to
live life. Paul continued his ministry
across the world to teach new Christians how to keep the faith in spite of
obstacles. Modern Christians read the
Bible and go to church to learn how to do life according to his will, to spread
the gospel in ways that make sense in our time and in our lives. Through all of this, we learn God’s will, his
way.
Sometimes
I follow God’s path and I’m pretty good at being a model Christian. Other
times, I veer off and crash, hard. But
then I remember.
God
is bigger than me, than all of us. He’s so
much bigger than our biggest accomplishments and even our most devastating failures. We need him in our lives to right us when we
fall. Only he can guide us with any kind
of success through this world. Often I
need to know my place and see that I am not in the center, that I am not in
control, that I don’t have all the answers.
It is humbling and freeing to know that God is in control, that despite my
desires for order and my way, his way will prevail. Just as children crave structure and the
safety of a secure and loving home as a landing place, so do we seek the
loving, capable arms of God.
God
is more than enough, despite what we can see. –Shelly Beach
When
my family members and I assert our will upon each other, we experience
conflict. We are a microcosm of what is
going on in the entire world – everyone battling for his or her own way. When I disengage from the fight and the chaos
and see God’s way, peace floods my heart and mind. I may not be able to see clearly how his way
will lead, but I trust that he has the answers, that he is in control, that he
is the center.
Of
everything.
*******
yes. I relate so much to this post. great words.
ReplyDeletehttp://unveiledandrevealed.com
Thank you so much! It's so nice to know that we are not alone in this world.
DeleteOh this just really resonates with me and my own family! I love the parallels you draw with family interactions and how we manage the messes ourselves versus with God. I don't always feel that peace you talk about though.... but His way is always going to be the right way. We just really need to adhere to it. I'm just so glad that He is our true controller of all things. I'm utterly lost without Him!
ReplyDeleteI am lost without him, too - I never did have a very good sense of direction. But you know what? I find that the more I focus on him, the better my sense of direction becomes.
Delete