Those petty squabbles: ‘What’s the point?’

Sitting around a table on a Sunday morning, just wanting to hear what the kids in Sunday School were thinking about, I asked Jake, a teen with a new driver’s license, “Do you know someone who is sure of their purpose in life?”

His answer was immediate. He went on to tell me how much he admires his grandfather: “He’s a retired policeman who always has a smile no matter what he does, especially in helping my grandma and loving our family and my sister and I a lot. And he lets me drive his vintage Mustang!” (True love, I thought!)

“Maybe part of his reason for smiling is that you bring joy to him?” I asked. Jake agreed. He explained that he and his sister, five years older and in college, used to get into arguments. But they made a decision not to. When I asked why they’d made that decision, he looked kind of surprised and responded matter-of-factly, “Because arguing hurts people,” and then quietly added the zinger, “So what’s the point?”

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit