Even though it was a bright sunny day out here in the middle, storms cloud are on the horizon.
One doesn’t have to look far to see the scary things in the world right now.
My children are old enough now to take notice. One of them asked, “Mommy, why are they being so mean to those people? Why would they do that?”
For some reason, the following comment popped into my head, “What are we so mean to each other in our house?”
That child’s eyes got really big and I could tell they felt convicted.
The children had just been engaged in a typical sibling squabble. In all honesty, it was nothing too concerning. I am fortunate that they get along well the majority of the time, but it was a tiff nonetheless. And tiffs can lead to bigger things.
There are exceptions, but epic arguments typically don’t start as a result of an isolated, minor event. They are usually the result of major events or the cumulation of many minor offenses over time. Emotions that began as mildly uncomfortable can turn to greed, jealousy, dismissiveness, arrogance, hatred and more.
When we are overwhelmed by stories and images and wonder what we can do to help, one thing we can do immediately is take a look inward. How do we treat others in our home and in our community? Are we doing everything we can to build healthy, strong, and peace loving havens? I don’t say this to minimize the atrocities taking place in the world, but if the answer is no, we are part of the problem.