Just for fun – post a comment below describing what you feel we can learn from Charlie and his brother concerning relationships in general and/or church life in particular.
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January 31, 2010 by David Parish
Just for fun – post a comment below describing what you feel we can learn from Charlie and his brother concerning relationships in general and/or church life in particular.
There is only one person you can count on that will never hurt you and that you can always trust . that was my thought
The older brother is willing / thinking that he needs to have pain (finger bitten) by Charlie in order to receive attention from the parent. In relationship with Father God, this is not necessary. A person does not have to deal with pain just to have the attention from God. Go to God in all situations and develop that relationship.
What did the older brother think was going to happen when he put his finger into Charlie’s mouth the second time?!
I feel the older brother was asking for it when he put his finger in Charlie’s mouth. Sometimes, we will endure pain in order to get what we want and that something isn’t what God wants for us. This is a lessen well learned.
Clare was intrigued with the video. Not sure what she was thinking but I’d recommend keeping your fingers away from the chompers next time you see her just in case.
Well, Charlie really seems to enjoy causing the older boy pain…I think I can be like that sometimes, though hopefully none of you knew that…
And I’m also sometimes the idiot that puts my finger in someones mouth… So I think it is kind of like the prodical son story, where you can see yourself in either position.
Maybe more relavant to what we can learn about relationships is that the older boy starts off pretty quietly saying it’s hurting, but he has to get louder and louder and scream and start crying before Charlie lets up…I think we need to be sensitive to the first time someone hints that we are causing them pain, even if it’s not too obvious or if it get’s played off like a joke. (Surely I’m not the only passive aggressive one in our bunch…)
Oh, and think about this, the older boy didn’t retaliate and bite him back, or worse, push him out of the chair. He did talk to Charlie honestly about his feelings (might work better if Charlie was older, but still).
How funny that Mere & I were just talking about what April mentioned. I thought for sure older brother was going to push him out of the chair or try and bite him back. Charlie didn’t truly understand what he was doing & even though older brother was hurting he not only didn’t hurt him back but he didn’t even seem to have an angry spirit toward his brother when it was all done.
And funny, as a mom it was so hard for me to watch! I so wanted to intervene (even though it was just a video). I was relieved and glad to see older brother’s response. It made me wonder how God feels when He sees us hurt each other. Does it make Him smile when we respond well? We all get hurt and hurt others unintentionally. I’m so glad God’s love for me is constant no matter what role I’m playing. But I so want to make God smile.
Also, responding well is a learned response and guided by the Holy Spirit. It goes against our human nature. And in order to “learn it” we have to be put in some painful situations. Much like working out…I know this is getting long. If you want brief see my better half. =)
Still Learning
~G
Yep, I have mommy vision, even though I have no kiddos of my own.
I think you make God smile quite often.
fool me once…shame on you
fool me twice…shame on me
Relationships are complicated. The first time you bit me, we both thought it was funny. The second time, you bit a little too hard. That really hurt Charlie!
But in the end, we’re brothers (and sisters) in Christ. Although the inevitable sin nature attempts to separate us, Christ commands us to love one another. The fact is, we aren’t going to get relationships right every time. We will make mistakes. We will offend. But thankfully, it’s the perfect love of Christ that binds us together as family. So even though that hurt Charlie, we’re still brothers. We’re still family. And I still love you, you little tooth in the flesh, you.
The obvious observation is don’t stick your finger where it doesn’t belong, in someone elses mouth. But also, we do have a third thing in common, a Father. A Father who loves us and will test us from time to time. Like Charlie biting his brother. It was not done with malice or intent to harm but his brother learned a valuable lesson. Don’t put your finger in someone elses mouth. Father sometimes puts us in situations, trials or seasons, that are intended for us to mature and or grow. He is injecting His character in us. Molding that piece of clay like a potter and sometimes it gets messy. Let’s not miss an opportunity to grow in Christ by giving the enemy credit for EVERY “bad” thing that happens. Rather than ask “why” is this happening to me? Let’s ask “what” is Father trying to teach me? What does Father want to grow and mature in me for this season and beyond?
Remember Jonah? He thought he could run from God but he didn’t realize that God was willing to put a storm in his path to stop him. Also realize that by running from Father’s will Jonah put many lives in harm’s way. God was willing to sink a ship to get Jonah’s attention. How many lives our we putting in harm’s way by not being obedient when we hear Father’s voice and he allows us a glimpse of His will for our lives?
Too deep for me. More pressing is the fact that I’ve run out of Corn Chex and am really stressing about it.
Maybe the older brother represents a mature Christian who easily forgives and forgets, even though he says his finger still hurts after Charlie finally lets go. What a trooper! Charlie, the baby brother is like a brand new Christian who hasn’t learned you shouldn’t bite your brother. Someday he might bite back! Both brothers’ attention is focused on the Father and want to please Him.
Trusting someone and loving them at the same time can be painful (at times).