A Divorce and A Commision

A Divorce and A Commission

One day, while working on paperwork in my study, outside my window there arose such a

clatter, that I looked out to see what was the matter.

Outside, I saw my two daughters, McKenna, and Kristin, eight and seven respectively, each

holding onto one of their younger brother Christopher's arms and yelling. I hurried outside

and separated the squabble, rescuing their bewildered brother just before his arms would

have separated. Upon my demands to know the reason of Christopher's maltreatment,

little McKenna put her hands on her hips and sighed longsufferingly.

"We're playing make believe, Daddy," she explained patiently, as if this were obvious. "I

was Catherine and Kristin was Mowgli from that movie we watched." McKenna was referring to

a movie we had watched that was a continuation of The Jungle Book, I couldn't recall the name.

"Why were you fighting over your brother?" I asked impatiently.

"Because we got a divorce and I had him first!" McKenna crossed her arms and frowned at

Kristin. Kristin puckered her little mouth and shouted, "Did not! I'm the man of the house, I get

custody!"

"Well, I'm the mother and I am sick and tired of taking care of your kids while you play in the

trees!"

"Hey," I said. "Stop fighting, you two, or you'll both be inside for the rest of the day." I turned

back to my oldest. "McKenna, please start from the beginning. Why are you and Kristin fighting

over Christopher?"

McKenna sighed again, trying to be patient with me. "Because in the story, Mowgli and

Catherine got married and had a baby." She pointed to Chris. "Him."

Then Kristin interrupted, "Catherine ran away!"

I held up a hand. "Let your sister finish."

McKenna glared at Kristin. "I got tired of cooking and cleaning the tree house so we got a

divorce. I took Eli and left. Then Mowgli wanted him back so he kidnapped him!"

All was quiet for a moment while I absorbed this bit of information, completely overcome with

the fact that my two daughters were getting a divorce and in the middle of a custody battle as a

part of a story that, no doubt, McKenna had invented.

"So who should get him, Daddy?"

I put on the most serious face I could manage. "Girls, I think it's best if you play another

story," I say in my best wise-father voice. McKenna-the mastermind behind most of the

children's doings-screwed up her face and thought for a moment, then burst into a smile. She

grabbed her brother and sister's hands. "Okay, let's play 'orphans'!" The children sauntered off

while McKenna explained the new story and characters.

I went back inside, shaking my head as my shoulders shook with laughter. My wife, Amy, who

was making dinner, smiled.

"What's so funny?" she asked

After a few moments, when I finally regained my composure, I looked up. "Our daughters just

got a divorce and were in the middle of a custody battle over Chris," I said solemnly. Amy

looked at me as if she hadn't heard me correctly. "They what?"

I chuckled. "Got a divorce and were fighting over who got to keep Christopher."

Amy shook her head. "Where on earth do they get their ideas?"

I shook my head. "McKenna."

Later, back in my study, I thought about the situation and a more serious thought struck me.

As an adult, witnessing the scene with my children, I considered myself superior. I had

regarded the little charade as childish and laughed at the thought of getting so worked up over

'make believe'. But now, sitting at my desk, the thought struck me that we adults are guilty of

the same thing.

As Christians, many times we get worked up over things that are irrelevant or trivial. What

someone said about us, what drama is taking place on social media, what this or that person is

wearing...The list goes on.

I realized that Satan doesn't always attempt to distract us using big things; like a death, or a

bad diagnosis. Sometimes he uses little things that slowly eat away at our time, our energy, and

our emotions. We get so caught up in pageantry and our appearances that we have forgotten

why we are really on this earth: To go into all nations and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Author's Note: This was an actual occurrence between my siblings and I when we were young. The names, however, have been changed to protect the innocent: )