Dodger: Okay! Thank you...no, really, I got it. Good bye!
Lilly: Who was that on the phone?
Dodger: Someone REALLY insistent on arguing with me.
Lilly: Really? Why?
Dodger: I don't know. I think he just wants to pick a fight.
Lilly: I see. Well, where did it start?
Dodger: Beats me.
Lilly: Surely it happened somewhen.
Dodger: That's not even a word.
Lilly: Well, at any rate, the question still stands. Why is this person arguing with you, and when did it start?
Dodger: Well, I guess it started when we disagreed about the number of pepperonis on a take-and-bake pizza. He said 70, I said 120. I overestimated, and he counted it as a personal victory. Since then he has tried everything he can to score one over on me, trying to strike up an argument about pretty much everything. I don't know if he'll ever stop, but I find it vastly irritating.
Lilly: Hmm. Well, why do you keep arguing with him?
Dodger: Because the things he argues about are silly, and he doesn't know what he's talking about! Someone has to set him straight.
Lilly: Um...Dodger? That...doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If you want to stop arguing, shouldn't you just do that?
Dodger: Well, I can't just let him think he's right all the time!
Lilly: Uh-huh. Dodger, do you mind if I read you something from the Bible?
Dodger: I'd never mind that. Fire away.
Lilly: Okay. It's a story about a king of Judah, named Amaziah. He's just finished up with a military victory against the people of Edom, and it's made him pretty pleased with himself. Here's what happens next:
Dodger: What a mess! Why did Amaziah insist on picking a fight with Jehoash?
Lilly: My guess is that he let a victory make him prideful, and it led to disaster. Dodger, this person who keeps arguing with you is a little bit like Amaziah- insistent on fighting because he expects to win. Honestly, though, he's just hurting himself. You have the chance, though, to respond differently from Jehoash. Instead of going out to the battlefield, so to speak, how about taking Paul's advice to the Romans: "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (12:18, ESV)"
Dodger: How?
Lilly: Instead of fighting the battles he picks, choose your battles. Decide what's really important, and focus on that. Who cares how many pepperonis are on a pizza? That doesn't change people's hearts and lives. It's just a pizza. No, what matters is that you try to show this person the love of God by refusing to argue with him. Try changing the subject, and if all else fails, you could just try saying "I don't want to argue about this with you" and walk away. It might make him mad, but it might also one day lead to a change of heart. You won't get anywhere by trying to beat him at his own game. Instead, ask God to show you how to talk to him in a way that honors God and shows love to him. Trust me. You'll find out it's a lot easier pretty fast.
Dodger: Okay. I'll try that. Thank you, Lilly. Looks like I needed a reminder.
Lilly: We all do at different times. I had a friend like this guy, once. She wanted to bicker about everything, until one day I decided I would not argue anymore, regardless of her reaction.
Dodger: What happened?
Lilly: We became great friends, she accepted my invitation to Church, and she's followed God ever since! I don't know if it always works out that way, but hey! It's worth a shot!
Dodger: I'll say. Well, I better get ready. He said he'd call in 30 minutes or so, and I want to be ready to stop arguing. Thanks for visiting us again today! Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's not about to change!
Lilly: Ciao!
Lilly: Who was that on the phone?
Dodger: Someone REALLY insistent on arguing with me.
Lilly: Really? Why?
Dodger: I don't know. I think he just wants to pick a fight.
Lilly: I see. Well, where did it start?
Dodger: Beats me.
Lilly: Surely it happened somewhen.
Dodger: That's not even a word.
Lilly: Well, at any rate, the question still stands. Why is this person arguing with you, and when did it start?
Dodger: Well, I guess it started when we disagreed about the number of pepperonis on a take-and-bake pizza. He said 70, I said 120. I overestimated, and he counted it as a personal victory. Since then he has tried everything he can to score one over on me, trying to strike up an argument about pretty much everything. I don't know if he'll ever stop, but I find it vastly irritating.
Lilly: Hmm. Well, why do you keep arguing with him?
Dodger: Because the things he argues about are silly, and he doesn't know what he's talking about! Someone has to set him straight.
Lilly: Um...Dodger? That...doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If you want to stop arguing, shouldn't you just do that?
Dodger: Well, I can't just let him think he's right all the time!
Lilly: Uh-huh. Dodger, do you mind if I read you something from the Bible?
Dodger: I'd never mind that. Fire away.
Lilly: Okay. It's a story about a king of Judah, named Amaziah. He's just finished up with a military victory against the people of Edom, and it's made him pretty pleased with himself. Here's what happens next:
"Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us look one another in the face.” And Jehoash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, “A thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son for a wife,’ and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle. You have indeed struck down Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Be content with your glory, and stay at home, for why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?”
But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home. And Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. And he seized all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king's house, also hostages, and he returned to Samaria. (2 Kings 14:8-14, ESV)"
Dodger: What a mess! Why did Amaziah insist on picking a fight with Jehoash?
Lilly: My guess is that he let a victory make him prideful, and it led to disaster. Dodger, this person who keeps arguing with you is a little bit like Amaziah- insistent on fighting because he expects to win. Honestly, though, he's just hurting himself. You have the chance, though, to respond differently from Jehoash. Instead of going out to the battlefield, so to speak, how about taking Paul's advice to the Romans: "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (12:18, ESV)"
Dodger: How?
Lilly: Instead of fighting the battles he picks, choose your battles. Decide what's really important, and focus on that. Who cares how many pepperonis are on a pizza? That doesn't change people's hearts and lives. It's just a pizza. No, what matters is that you try to show this person the love of God by refusing to argue with him. Try changing the subject, and if all else fails, you could just try saying "I don't want to argue about this with you" and walk away. It might make him mad, but it might also one day lead to a change of heart. You won't get anywhere by trying to beat him at his own game. Instead, ask God to show you how to talk to him in a way that honors God and shows love to him. Trust me. You'll find out it's a lot easier pretty fast.
Dodger: Okay. I'll try that. Thank you, Lilly. Looks like I needed a reminder.
Lilly: We all do at different times. I had a friend like this guy, once. She wanted to bicker about everything, until one day I decided I would not argue anymore, regardless of her reaction.
Dodger: What happened?
Lilly: We became great friends, she accepted my invitation to Church, and she's followed God ever since! I don't know if it always works out that way, but hey! It's worth a shot!
Dodger: I'll say. Well, I better get ready. He said he'd call in 30 minutes or so, and I want to be ready to stop arguing. Thanks for visiting us again today! Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's not about to change!
Lilly: Ciao!
