July, 2007

It Takes Two to Quarrel

I don't know if you are old enough to remember the organ grinder who used to go around in the streets with a little monkey to collect pennies. One such entertainer had an especially clever monkey. On one occasion, when a big dog broke away from some children with whom it had been playing and made a dash for the monkey, the bystanders were surprised to see that the monkey did not seem in the least afraid. He stood perfectly still in evident curiosity, waiting for the dog to come up to him. This disconcerted the dog, for it would have much preferred to chase something that would run and not stand its ground. As soon as the dog reached the monkey, the funny little scarlet-coated creature courteously doffed its cap. Instantly there was a laugh from the audience. The dog was nonplused. Its head drooped and its tail dropped between its legs. It looked like a whipped cur and not at all like the fine dog it really was. It turned and ran back home, and the laughing children could not persuade it to return. As for the monkey, he wanted no disagreement, and he knew instinctively that it took two to make a quarrel.

You can often avoid strife by being the one who refuses to fight with a brother in Christ, even if he is somewhat different from you or belongs to another group.

From Book One - Bible Illustrations, Illustrations of Bible Truths - Ruth Peters, AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN, 1998, Pages 159-160.