Oh brothers

Yesterday I was reading through some Psalms on my reading plan and this verse at the beginning of Psalm 133 caught my eye.

"How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!"

This verse is so true! We can have so much fun as a family when the boys are being kind to one another. There are quiet mornings of playing Pokemon in their rooms that allow Mommy a few extra precious minutes of sleep. There are sweet sounds of them playing flying Flamingo and on the rarest of occasions one of the big boys can be found reading a book to Little One. These are the moments that make my heart full.

And then there is the bickering, the fighting, the competition and teasing. The mornings I am woken by screaming and tattling. The visions of hands slapping at each other in the back of the minivan. The meanness that reminds me that even my adorable children are sinful. Everyone talks about the innocence of children which is true in a worldly way, but children also demonstrate how ugly we can be to one another over our toys, our insecurities, our need for attention.

I wish I had the magic formula for creating peace and unity in my house among the brothers. But unfortunately I don't.

Instead I try to survive the battles and enjoy those fleeting moments of peace.