Best Friends

Best Friends...Siblings...is it possible the two can mean the same thing? I believe with all my heart it is, but many days I am walking by faith and not by sight on that one. There are many squabbles to grow through before the fruit can really be enjoyed.

I am sure you can relate to the joys of helping children understand that they are each other's best friend, if you have more than one child. In fact, that is a statement we repeat to each of them, over and over, trying to lay the foundation of the value of their siblings - you are each other's best friend.

There are so many truths that the Word provides us that we need to share with our children. I think back to when our oldest two children were about five and three, and we were discussing Proverbs 17:17, "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." I was sharing this with our then five year old son, with the goal of helping him see the importance of recognizing his sister was his best friend. Without missing a beat, he looked at me and said, "But mom, it says brothers are for adversity." We looked together more closely to see that it means they are they for hard times to lean on...I think he was a little disappointed.

The heart of what I want to share is this - children will fight. It is a fact that is accepted for every family BUT it is not to end there. It is the pathway that we are given as parents, to guide our children in the ways of godly, loving relationships. When I think of our five children and how many arguments I have to judge in, I feel like a leader of old that used to have to sit on his throne all day and listen to both sides of stories. Helping our children work through their disagreements in a calm way is not an easy task, but it is one of the most important tasks that they must have our help in. And when we can model for them a calm heart and quiet spirit (and I am not saying I have arrived, I am sharing my aim), we are equipping them for life.

The scripture that blesses me over and over as a priceless reminder to my training with our children, is Proverbs 15:1, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." May God fill our mommy mouths with gentle words so that we don't stir up anger in our children's hearts and our homes.