God meant what He said

So, I haven't written since my parents were here.... because I just had too much negative stuff I wanted to say. I don't think this is really the appropriate place for that, so I was waiting for my brain to stop dwelling on that and it's taken 4 days. Before I go on with the blog I'd planned, I feel I should honor my parents by saying that I really do appreciate the sacrifice they made to drive here and back just for the weekend. Driving's really no fun for them at all. I appreciate them completely understanding that our schedule doesn't allow us to visit them. There's been no complaining, just the decision on their part to come here if they feel the need to see us.

Onward. I have a page on Facebook that I really enjoy updating, especially now that we're so so far from all our freinds. I put some new pictures of our home on there and one in particular was commented on by a friend of mine from college. The picture was of our buffet in our dining room where I have much of my grandma's glassware displayed. The comment from my friend was that the glassware was likely to get broken in a couple years when we have a toddler running around. I responded that I wouldn't mind putting it away, but that she would be trained to "look don't touch." Now, this friend of mine loves to stir me up, because he knows I love a debate. In fact, over one Christmas break in college we wrote back and forth over 30 pages of emails debating various issues of my faith. I like keeping sharp, but I've had a realization since then that, yes, we should have an answer to why we believe, but one upping is never the goal and winning is never the goal. If you "win" an arguement or debate, you have never won their heart. I really regret all the debating I've done with this individual in the past. He's extremely smart... a thinker, so I thought he needed to be challenged on that level. The heart is so much deeper, though. Back to the story: His response to me saying I would train my daughter was, "See, the indoctrination already begins! What about her autonomy and ability to think of herself? Such stern words will only lead her towards a path of rebellion in her teenage years." Grrr. This kind of foolishness makes my heart start beating fast and my fingers bang as I type. I had just read that morning...

Proverbs 9: 7-8a
7 Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. 8 So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you.


I knew not to say anything back... (you know what comes next in this sentence) but I did. I HAD to. It was such a rediculous way to think! I had to show him how rediculous it was, right? He said it to me, so it's my job to correct it, right?
What's the real issue here? My pride. My pride might be hurt if I let him think that I hadn't thought through what I was doing. My pride would be hurt if one person (in front of all the other people that come to look at my facebook page) thought that my plan for my daughter would be to her detriment.
Uhuh. So I tried to correct a mocker and what does Solomon say I should expect in return? Vindication? A righting of wrong thinking? Satisfaction? None of these is listed. Only hatred from my friend who I felt the need to correct.
Good game. Great "win." Let's shake hands all 'round.
And not do that again.