It was a far cry from last Wednesday night, though I have to admit I was secretly laughing then. They had gotten into a ridiculous disagreement about something. Apparently Madi had the upper hand in this skirmish, and Trevor had just had enough. From the other room I heard him say in complete and total frustration, "That's it, Madi. NO ELECTRONICS UNTIL MONDAY!!!"
I'll let you guess who normally gets grounded from electronics around here. :)
Here's the thing about doing life together. You're going to have wonderful, idyllic moments that make life and relationships incredibly meaningful; and you're going to have moments where the people you love most frustrate you to the point of grasping for the worst possible punishment you can think of to put them in their place!
My kids are figuring out how to do life together. They are learning how to get along.
To be honest, most days they are the sweetest little pair! But they also have their less than stellar moments.
Just like all of us.
My parents will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary on Saturday. That just amazes me! 40 years of life together, a happy life at that!
(For the record, they may try to ground me from electronics for posting this old photo but seriously, who could resist?!)
Regarding the issue of marriage, I've often heard my dad (who has not only been married for 40 years but has been doing pastoral counseling for nearly as long) say this...
It would be so helpful if people would simply learn to get along with each other! Husbands and wives and families need to figure out how to get along, not spend their time arguing and fighting, but enjoying life and enjoying each other!
It is so, so basic, but isn't that how most profound truth is?
Sometime we need to get back to the basics!
We need to go back to the Biblical principles of being nice and kind and working things out with one another that we were taught as children.
Just as I want my kindergartner and second grader to learn to get along as we navigate through life and share this home together, I want that for us as a family.
And for your family.
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
Let's all work on this in our homes!
I have a feeling it could make a huge difference in our relationships.
Enjoy your life! Enjoy your marriage! Enjoy your kids!
Make an extra effort this week to simply get along with the people you love.
I loved this post for many reasons. Yes, a simple truth, yet oftentimes we're not willing to try. I've been so convicted of this lately. My flesh doesn't want to try but wants the other person to ;) It's worth the effort, though. Loved the pictures :)
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't have a spouse or kids that I'm "doing life" with, your post and your dad's quote reminds me of a rule I try to live by. It's pretty simple: "Don't be a jerk." That's it. I can honestly say that life is better when you try not to be a jerk to people, even in the most frustrating of moments. And while the goal isn't material benefit, I'm convinced I've scored better service at stores and an upgrade on a flight because I tried to be nice to people who had obviously not been treated well by others. I'm not always stellar at following my own rule, but I try. It definitely makes life better.
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