choose your battles

With tears falling from her big brown eyes, and a red face from the passion built up inside of her, the little girl screamed, “that’s not fair!” In-between sobs, she repeated, “that’s not fair!” Her mother held her close trying to immobilize her angry child. The mother gently ran her hand down her daughter’s hair and hot back and whispered, “Choose your battles, Jewels. Choose your battles.” The gentle, quiet voice of her mother eventually calmed the little girl down and the sobs subsided. Still angry at the injustice that had just taken place, the tears continued to fall until the little girl was rocked to sleep in her mother’s soothing embrace.

This past weekend I heard a talk from a representative for the International Justice Mission. The words shared continue to linger in my mind. It reminded me of those days of sobbing in my mother’s arms. “Choose your battles, Jewels. Choose your battles.” It makes me wonder if the battles I’m fighting right now have eternal significance. And, if these are the battles that wisdom would lead me to choose.