“To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”
I Peter 3:8-9 (NASB)
Because of the present situation, I’ve heard a lot of people talking about how difficult it is being home full-time with their children. I am sure that some of them are joking, but it certainly seems like some of them are not. This worries me because it sounds like there is friction in the family. It could be that it is inconvenient to be around other family members, or it could be that the stress level is very high and there is more conflict than usual. However, the Bible teaches us that we should live in harmony in the family.
Earlier in chapter 3, Peter speaks about how husbands and wives are to behave themselves toward each other. Similar to Ephesians chapter 5, Peter speaks of how wives should respect their husbands and husbands should treat their wives with love. After this he instructs the family to be harmonious, thoughtful, and humble. The devil would like to turn the family home into a battle ground, but Christians will not give in. Even when provoked, we will remain humble in spirit and return a soft word (Pr 15:1).
All of this is because we understand that we have been called to inherit a blessing. Each of us desires that God will remember our good and forget our bad. We know that we could not bear it if God returned to us what we deserve for all the evil we have done. Instead, he showed us mercy, and while we were still sinners, he sent his only son to die for us (Ro 5:6-10). Realizing this, we ought to return blessings to our brethren—physical and spiritual.