Play Fighting…

Other than eating, sleeping and racing outside to bark at imaginary burglars, my dogs’ favorite pastime seems to be play fighting. Ellie and Frankie (our Chihuahuas) do it the most, growling and biting at each other in that tentative, slow way dogs do when they aren’t really mad at each other. Chloe joins in occasionally and even Sandy will have an amusing play fight with Frankie, who is small enough that Sandy could easily swallow him in one gulp. Only Cody refrains from it. Cody we got as a stray when he was about 2 and since he’s male, he is still unsure of himself in the family, and suffers from what could only be described as self-esteem issues, so he’s not comfortable enough to play fight.

I can understand how in the pack, play fighting would become training and exercise for eventual battles with creatures bent on harming the pack, so it makes sense that God would give them the instinct and desire for it.

But as I watch them lunge and snap at each other, I imagine it’s how we look to God when we bicker and argue over trivial things. It’s also similar to how we entertain ourselves with invented conflict. All movies and fictional TV shows are based on the common theme of conflict and resolution. We invent conflict so we can experience resolution. Some times we do it so much we drive loved ones away because of all the “drama” we create. I can understand how it can be a useful and positive thing for dogs, but for people it’s just the opposite. It seems to me there’s more than enough conflict in the world without inventing more. What would be more productive would be working toward resolving the conflict we see, rather than inventing conflict that we can then pretend to resolve.

—Danny

“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.”—James 4:1,2