Sunday Devotions - Family Fights

And quarreling arose between Abram's herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is not he whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go the the left." ... So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. Genesis 13:7-11

I grew up with six younger brothers and sisters and yes....we fought...a lot. Especially my sisters and I. I remember some particularly vicious wrestling matches between a couple of us. We fought over chores and clothes and things I can't even remember now, but it seemed an awfully important point at the time! My grandmother always told us the more we fought as children the closer we would be as adults. I'd have to say that true in our case; now I consider my sisters my very best friends.

Even the most agreeable families have disagreements. Of course every family deals with quarrels differently. Some families scream and yell. Some families can discuss their differences quietly. Some families choose to ignore one another forever after a disagreement. Some families create rules to prevent disagreements in the first place. Growing up, if my sisters and I got ''into it'' twice in one day, then Mom would make us go to our nearest neighbors house 1/2 mile away (which just happened to be Grandma's house) and hold hands on while we sang what we referred to as.....The Barney Song.

Remember it? "I love you, you love me...."

We were teenagers....I can't say that it we were truly expressing our love for one another when we song that song, but Mom knew what she was doing. After a couple fights and having to sing to Grandma, who just stood there enjoying the spectacle WAY too much, we sure learned to curb our shouting matches quickly!

Even though Mom's method worked well, Abram had a better way of solving his quarrel with Lot. He let his nephew choose the better land for his herds. How often in the heat of a family argument do we choose to think of what the other person wants? How often do we surrender? For some of us surrender may come easier with family. How about with someone who is a non-relative? How often do we think of what others want in a disagreement? I admit I find it very hard to give in during a fight.

How do you handle a family argument? How could we all handle conflict more positively?

Dear God, Thank You for family. Disagreements are bound to arise in a family. Grant us patience and guidance when dealing with family conflict. Amen.