It Was Never About the Dishes
“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?”James 4:1 (KJV)
The argument starts in the kitchen. One of you wants to sit down after a long day. The other wants help cleaning up. Both wants are reasonable. But within minutes it isn’t about dishes anymore.
Most fights at home are two good things colliding: rest and help, quiet and conversation, my plan and yours. The real contest underneath is who will give way first.
Paul tells us how to win that contest: “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”
The next time the kitchen turns into a battlefield, try being the first to serve. It may not feel like winning. But in a marriage, the one who serves first usually wins the most.
Read it yourself
Read Philippians 2:1–8. Whose mind does Paul tell us to have, and what did he do?
Where do two good things keep colliding in your home? How could you serve first?
Lord, give me the mind of Christ at home. Help me serve first and esteem others better than myself. Amen.