Life in Harmony
Yesterday, we sat down at Chuy's for lunch, and while Philip and I ate our weight in chips and Creamy Jalapeño, the kids all set to work on the Chuy's coloring pages. I found myself staring at them in wonder - and not just because they were sitting quietly and behaving like angels in a public place. If it had just been Sarah coloring, I would not have been surprised - she loves to do that, any time, any place. But for both of the boys to be engrossed by this was really out of the norm - especially for Luke. He practically invented the "one scribble and I'm done" attack on coloring pages.
But as I watched them, I realized that the boys have probably taken their cue from Sarah's example; they see how much she enjoys drawing and coloring, and so they have decided they will enjoy it, too. And I began to think about the ways that the others' interests have also rubbed off - Luke loves reading and especially listening to audiobooks, and although Sarah is not naturally inclined the same way, she has recently commandeered all the Narnia CDs - and is working on memorizing the whole of our Shel Silverstein audio collection. Andrew is still too young to have many interests that are wholly his own (other than snuggling with me), but he definitely joins in on anything his siblings are doing - from Legos to Barbies - and even chores. This morning, Luke was dusting the living room for me, and Andrew was right behind him begging to vacuum. [Come to think of it, Andrew insisted on vacuuming AND de-dog-hairing the sofa AND then threw a fit when I wouldn't let him sweep... could cleaning be his special interest?? Lord, let it be so!!]
It's so awesome to see the way that these three separate humans do life together. They don't really know any other way, of course, but I think I could learn a lot from them anyway. Like the way that they are able to enjoy each other's interests without losing even an iota of their own personality. The way they celebrate each other's gifts without feeling the need to compare the strength of their different abilities. And the way they are devoted to each other on such a deep level that they never need to question it, even in the midst of a no-holds-barred squabble (of which there are plenty).
I wish we could be more like that in our church family. I wish that brothers and sisters in Christ could participate alongside each other in different acts of service and worship without the slightest bit of comparison or doubt. I wish that we could recognize strengths without letting them set up walls around what we can and cannot do. I wish we could love each other so deeply that we'd happily set aside our own interests just to spend time side by side with our brother or sister. I wish we could love each other so deeply that we could speak of our differences and hurts and anxieties with faith that our relationships can handle some discord.
But in order to have those kinds of deep relationships, we must do life together. We must be vulnerable. We must love deeply. And we must be humble enough to see that sometimes our kids have a lot more of life figured out than we might have imagined.
But as I watched them, I realized that the boys have probably taken their cue from Sarah's example; they see how much she enjoys drawing and coloring, and so they have decided they will enjoy it, too. And I began to think about the ways that the others' interests have also rubbed off - Luke loves reading and especially listening to audiobooks, and although Sarah is not naturally inclined the same way, she has recently commandeered all the Narnia CDs - and is working on memorizing the whole of our Shel Silverstein audio collection. Andrew is still too young to have many interests that are wholly his own (other than snuggling with me), but he definitely joins in on anything his siblings are doing - from Legos to Barbies - and even chores. This morning, Luke was dusting the living room for me, and Andrew was right behind him begging to vacuum. [Come to think of it, Andrew insisted on vacuuming AND de-dog-hairing the sofa AND then threw a fit when I wouldn't let him sweep... could cleaning be his special interest?? Lord, let it be so!!]
It's so awesome to see the way that these three separate humans do life together. They don't really know any other way, of course, but I think I could learn a lot from them anyway. Like the way that they are able to enjoy each other's interests without losing even an iota of their own personality. The way they celebrate each other's gifts without feeling the need to compare the strength of their different abilities. And the way they are devoted to each other on such a deep level that they never need to question it, even in the midst of a no-holds-barred squabble (of which there are plenty).
I wish we could be more like that in our church family. I wish that brothers and sisters in Christ could participate alongside each other in different acts of service and worship without the slightest bit of comparison or doubt. I wish that we could recognize strengths without letting them set up walls around what we can and cannot do. I wish we could love each other so deeply that we'd happily set aside our own interests just to spend time side by side with our brother or sister. I wish we could love each other so deeply that we could speak of our differences and hurts and anxieties with faith that our relationships can handle some discord.
But in order to have those kinds of deep relationships, we must do life together. We must be vulnerable. We must love deeply. And we must be humble enough to see that sometimes our kids have a lot more of life figured out than we might have imagined.
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