Is It Ok To Hit My Brother Back If He Hit Me First?
Answer: No, that would be taking revenge. In the Bible, God says that vengeance, or revenge, belongs to him.
And he has delegated the authority to settle fights to the human authorities-police, teachers, and (for brothers and sisters who fight) parents. It’s not right to hit back.
God also wants us to love, not hate. If we say we love him but hate people, then we don’t really love him.
That’s because if we can’t love someone in our own family, whom we can see, we can’t possibly love God, whom we cannot see.
That’s why Jesus told us to be kind and to respond with love, even when someone hits us.
So if your brother (or sister) hits you, respond by being nice. If he or she continues to be mean, tell your parents and let them take care of it.
God wants you to learn how to get along with people. Sometimes that can be very difficult at home.
But if you can learn to love and to be kind to your family members, you probably will be able to get along with almost anyone else.
Key verses: Never pay back evil for evil. Do things in a way that everyone can see you are honest. (Romans 12:17)
Related verses: Matthew 5:9; Romans 12:14; 13:1-7; 1 John 2:9-11; 3:11-15
Note to parents: One of your challenges as a parent involves teaching kids to talk out their differences rather than fight.
You can use a question like this one to emphasize the importance of being a peacemaker.
Don’t allow your kids to fight, or that is how they will learn to solve problems.
Instead, encourage them to talk through their differences, and they will gain valuable skills in working through all sorts of conflicts.
Is It Ok To Bug My Sister?
Answer: God wants us to be kind and considerate; respectful, not mean. Sometimes we may be having fun teasing or tickling each other, but we should stop if the person asks us to.
We should not be cruel.
Sometimes we may bug other people by accident. In other words, we may do something that bothers people or makes them angry with us, and we don’t even know it.
As soon as we find out, we should stop doing it. That would be kind and considerate.
It’s easy for brothers and sisters to get on each other’s nerves. That’s because they spend so much time together and because what one person does affects other people in a family.
We need to work hard to make our families places of love and kindness.
Key verse: Let’s not look for honors or try to be popular.
These things make people jealous and cause hard feelings. (Galatians 5:26)
Related verses: Genesis 21:9-11; Romans 12:9-10i Galatians 6:10; 1 John 2:9-11
Related questions: Is fighting with your brother wrong? Why is it wrong to fight?
Note to parents: When your children are bothering one another, remember to teach both children the correct response.
The person doing the bothering should stop when asked and apologize. But the person being bothered should also try to be more patient.
Do I Really Have To Eat My Vegetables, Or Are My Parents Just Making Sure I Clean My Plate?
Answer: God has said that children must obey their parents. So even if you don’t like the taste of some food, you should eat it if your parents tell you to.
Parents serve vegetables and tell children to eat them because vegetables help build strong bodies.
The Bible tells us that we should take care of our bodies because that’s where God lives and because God wants to use us.
We should do what we can to stay healthy. That means eating good food, including vegetables.
Key verse: Don’t you know that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit lives within you! Your own body does not belong to you. (1 Corinthians 6:19)
Related verses: Ephesians 6:1-3
Related question: Is it OK to throw out the lunch your mom made and go to the store?
Note to parents: Make good and healthy rules for eating and be very consistent in enforcing them.
This brings peace and minimizes arguing because your child knows where the boundaries are.
Be careful not to make too big a deal about food rules, though; eating should be a pleasant experience.