"Why does everything always have to be your way?!"

II Timothy 2:21-22

Imagine a situation where a wife asks her husband if he wants to go to the grocery store with her. On the way, she says "Hey I need to run into Belk for just a moment". All of a sudden World War 3 breaks out because he hates shopping. Or, she asks him to go to the store, he agrees, and on the way he says "Hey I need to grab something at Lowes while we are out. It won't take long." Then she flips out and says, " I don't have time for that! I have to get back and cook YOUR supper!" Again, World War 3.

When we first got married, Michelle must have thought that I loved to argue. Truth is that I hated it, but she didn't see things the way I did. If she simply would have thought like I did, everything would have gone smoothly. After all, I thought I was right, and since I was right I wasn't going to back down. Oh, and for the record, my wife does not get mad at me for wanting to go to Lowes. That really was just a scenario to set the tone for this scripture.

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“Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.”

II Timothy 2:22-23

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Many times we argue over things that are really unimportant. Sometimes we even continue arguing even when we know we are wrong. Pride will not allow us to concede our position and admit our error. We are filled with youthful (juvenile) desires. In this case, it is the desire to be right above all else. We run to "foolish and ignorant disputes", rather than fleeing them. We are all too familiar with the strife that comes from those arguments.

When we run from such desires, like the desire to be right, or the desire to have things our way, we have to run to something else. Paul tells us that we should run to righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Going back to the scenario we began with, love and the desire for peace will motivate us to say, "Sure honey. We can stop while we are out." This will be brought about by a righteous attitude and demonstrate our faith in God; even if that faith goes unnoticed. We don't need things our way, or to be recognized, because we are fleeing those juvenile desires that need recognition and only want to demonstrate the love of God to those around us.

Finally, we are to "pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart". The word "pure" here comes from the Greek word that our word Catharsis is rooted in. According to Verywellminded.com, "A catharsis is an emotional release...this emotional release is linked to a need to relieve unconscious conflicts". Since that is the goal, to relieve conflict, Paul tells us that we do so by pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace. When our hearts are pure, we can be in unity with others who have a pure heart.

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“Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 15:5-6

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Father, You want us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18). This is so that we may bring glory to His Name by the lives that we live. Help us to grow and mature, so that we put away our juvenile desires and look more like Your sinless and righteous Son. May His Name be glorified in our lives, and may others see His love in us.