Sep 172009
Submitted by: Judi Crocker
Last night the Twins were bickering off and on throughout the evening. I became a sort of ticking time bomb like a jack-in-the-box toy. With each quarter turn of the handle, you hear a ‘plink’ and the tension builds. Girltwin to Boytwin: “Will you please stop doing that. *plink* Will you please stop doing that. *plink* Will you please stop doing that *plink*.” “Will you PLEASE stop doing that. *plink*Will you PLEASE stop doing that. *plink*Will you PLEASE stop doing that.” and on and on. Later on Boytwin to Girltwin: “Will you please stop singing. *plink* Will you please stop singing. *plink* Will you please stop singing.*PLink*” “Will you PLEASE stop singing. *PLInk* Will you PLEASE stop singing. *PLINk*. Will you PLEASE stop singing. *PLINK*” And POP goes the weasel.
I LOST it. The irritated, frightening, frustrated figure exploded out of its box and let loose. “WILL. YOU. STOP!!!?? What on EARTH is the matter with you people?? Why can’t you JUST. STOP. SINGING?? And why can’t YOU just PUT. SOME. HEADPHONES. ON??” “DO YOU REALIZE THAT YOU ARE NOT ONLY BEING NASTY TO EACH OTHER BUT THAT YOU ARE CAUSING ME TO SUFFER BECAUSE I HAVE TO LISTEN TO IT TOO!? “You need to work on being LESS SELFISH!!”
When I finally settled into my room for the night, I found this ‘sticky’d to my dresser.
“‘Philippians 2:3-4′, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
*sigh* My son….. Did the very thing (without being told) that I should have done when I felt the spring tightening. He went to God’s Word for guidance and correction. And then he quietly, without even attempting to make his case, brought what he had learned to me. *sigh*
Two things:
1.) A Pastor in California has brought this quote by C.S. Lewis to my attention, “Surely what a man does when he’s taken off guard is the best evidence of what sort of a man he really is. If there are rats in the cellar, you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness doesn’t create the rats it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of a provocation does not make me ill-tempered. It only shows me what an ill-tempered man I already am.”
1.) A Pastor in California has brought this quote by C.S. Lewis to my attention, “Surely what a man does when he’s taken off guard is the best evidence of what sort of a man he really is. If there are rats in the cellar, you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness doesn’t create the rats it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of a provocation does not make me ill-tempered. It only shows me what an ill-tempered man I already am.”
2.) I plug along and plug along wondering if my little people are hearing ANYthing I am trying to teach them. And then God gives me a little piece of fruit to chew on and be thankful for and while doing so, shines the light on the work that I need to do too.
