Articles
Return of the Terrible Twos?
Proverbs 15:1 - “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” In one of my communication classes at USF, my professor explained the source of the “terrible two’s.” He said when children arrive at that age, they start to understand their ability to make choices on their own independent from their parents. They learn to “want” certain things independent of what their parents want. Obviously, they get angry when their parents don’t allow them to get what they want. However, there is something else involved: at that age, they don’t have the skills to communicate what they want. They know they want something, but they can’t articulate it, so they become frustrated. The solution? Throw a fit and cry!
As I thought about that, I wondered how many times that’s true of us as adults? How many times do we know what we want, but we don’t have the skills to communicate it, so we just throw a fit instead? How many times do the terrible two’s return throughout our lives? The Bible says a lot about the importance of good communication. Without it, our projects come to nothing (Genesis 11:7-8), our relationships are strained (Proverbs 21:9), and we are left frustrated and alone (Proverbs 18:7). Christians should not be tantrum throwers; we should be a people committed to finding ways to communicate with clarity, love, and kindness. Next time we feel the terrible two’s coming on, let us remember to “do away with childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11).
