Someone

My kids range in ages of 3 to 13 right now, and because of this, I get to interact with them in different ways depending on their stage in life. And I can see how, though they are all rather different, they will express themselves in similar ways at similar stages. What I mean is that my 6 year old often acts like one older brother in particular when he was 6 and, unfortunately, how I acted at age 6. But hopefully that means I’ve developed some better ways of dealing with it, too.
We had an episode that sticks out to me especially this week. We were all playing a game on the trampoline (yes I still jump with them…though my back doesn’t like it much anymore) and it seemed the 6 year old lost a point in the game. However, he DEFINALTY did not see it that way. And he told me so. And after I pulled the ‘dad card’ and said he lost the point, he stormed off in a huff. But he’s not just a ‘stormer-offer’, he’s a ‘throw whatever I can’ and ‘hit whatever is around’ type of fit thrower. And all that I tried to say to him just made him madder and so I sent him into the house to cool down.
After we finished the game (I was winning so we HAD to finish), I went inside to talk with him about it. And as we talked, I told him some of my experience when I was mad (like punching a window that gave me stitches when I was about 10) and I asked some questions to help him think about the situation. And in the end, I asked him what might have been a fairer way to handle our disagreement about whether he lost a point. And though he didn’t really have an answer I told him someone had to decide. Refs and umps decide other games, but at home, usually I just have to make the final decision. And he seemed to understand.
But then I got to thinking…that’s true in so many areas of life. In the end, someone has to make the decision. The decision what to have for supper. The decision whether to reopen our churches. The decision what businesses are ‘essential’. And, honestly, I don’t envy most of the people who make those decisions.
And that’s true for leaders in town, leaders of our state and leaders around the world and it’s true for my own heart and soul. And hopefully you decide to trust Jesus with your heart and soul, but I also pray that we find ways to respect and love those who make other decisions, even if we don’t like them. Most leaders are doing the best they can, let’s pray for them to help them in that task. God bless.