I AIN'T NO FOOL... OK, WELL MAYBE SOMETIMES

Fool may be a little harsh for what I am, but... "if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck..it's a duck!"

My middle child, Aaron, has better labeled the phenomenon in our home as "Constant Ridiculousness" and he simply doesn't want any part of it.

"Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor;
​only fools insist on quarreling"
Proverbs 20:3

Our constant "quarrels" aka ridiculousness come from two insanely competitive people (my husband and me) that draw their son into the middle of these "discussions" to help prove and win our own points.

Now, it would be one thing if it was a debate over something life changing or worthwhile, but ours tend to be over topics like "Which athlete best transcends their sport and is bigger than baseball?" The correct answer (of course) is simply, "any athlete that I have heard of because I don't follow sports, so even if no one else has heard of "said athlete" they must be bigger than the sport itself... this solid reasoning (in my own mind) stands firm, but not so much for my husband.

Hence, the call for Aaron to come in and settle the debates that we find ourselves in, tends to be pretty constant.

I could go on with examples... but suffice to say, these conversations and this "passionate ridiculousness" occurs on a daily basis. And at the end of the day, it truly does keeps us laughing.

But still, Aaron chooses to take the high ground and not even put his gloves in the ring. He chooses honor, while my husband and I choose to act a fool.

Either way, it is a choice.

Is our ridiculousness hurting anyone? No, but suppose it was about things that actually mattered.

What if it was a daily barrage of fights, nitpicking, complaints and quarrels? Those are the acts that become habitual, deliberate and detrimental to relationships, especially in a marriage.

The same way my son chooses to not be drawn into the crazy, we choose to be the crazy. We all have the ability to choose.

We have the ability to choose joy, to choose praise, to choose to encourage, to choose to listen instead of complain. We have the ability to avoid fights and quarrels and to set ourselves in a place marked for honor. 

Next time you feel the urge to be drawn into the fight, remember, and remember quickly, to avoid it, to remove yourself and communicate in love from a place of honor that honors and respects those you care about... (and even those people that you don't much care for..yes, even them!)

Let's choose to NOT insist on quarraling. It does a body good! It does friendship good! It does a marriage good!

Love you in the Lord!
​Mia

PS. Aaron Koehne is still one of THE most competitive AND silly people I know. Go figure!

There is a good chance that these wrestling matches with his older brother, Chris, started over the debate of who had a better haircut, cleaner room or bigger muscles. (True fact) LOL! ​