Today in the town were I live we are voting on whether to legalize the sales of alcohol on Sunday. This post is not so much about that as it is about how people have attacked each other for not sharing their "idea" of how this can and should be handled.
Now, mind you, I am a BIG proponent of standing firm for what I believe in, including issues that face us as followers of Christ in our world today. What I would caution is that we don't throw too many rocks at each other in the process, by being strident or intolerant or intentionally sowing seeds of discord. This goes for both sides. It is easy to get caught up in an attempt to prove we are the ones in the right and that someone else's point of view is wrong.
It is clear that Jesus didn't bend on the essential truths He instructed us to live by. But when others disagree with us on those points, do we automatically put up walls or instead try to find common ground for discussion, (not argument) without compromising the essentials?
It is when we dig in, plant our feet in concrete, and become immovable in our views, that we undermine the kingdom. I heard it said once this way: conflict is unavoidable, but combat is a choice. Are you choosing combat with your words? Are you dealing with the conflict you are facing in a constructive way? Conflict can illuminate differences between people and in the process it can help us grow, if we allow it. But pushing it to the point of belittling the other person or their views is never, ever productive.
And sometimes it seems like our response is harsher if it is a Christian that disagrees with us. I hate to say it but often times we eat our own. Rather than seeking peace, we often times automatically wage war, moving straight to the big guns instead of giving everyone an opportunity to understand why we have differences.
God's desire is for us to bring people together, to build bridges, not walls, wherever possible. Not at the sacrifice of the Truth, but especially within His church.
Try this the next time you are faced with a "conflict": Instead of heading straight into battle and chucking rocks at your "enemy" find a way to show them the grace and love that your were shown and build a bridge instead of a wall. That gesture of civility will not only change you but it can change the direction someone else might be headed.
"God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9
Now, mind you, I am a BIG proponent of standing firm for what I believe in, including issues that face us as followers of Christ in our world today. What I would caution is that we don't throw too many rocks at each other in the process, by being strident or intolerant or intentionally sowing seeds of discord. This goes for both sides. It is easy to get caught up in an attempt to prove we are the ones in the right and that someone else's point of view is wrong.
It is clear that Jesus didn't bend on the essential truths He instructed us to live by. But when others disagree with us on those points, do we automatically put up walls or instead try to find common ground for discussion, (not argument) without compromising the essentials?
It is when we dig in, plant our feet in concrete, and become immovable in our views, that we undermine the kingdom. I heard it said once this way: conflict is unavoidable, but combat is a choice. Are you choosing combat with your words? Are you dealing with the conflict you are facing in a constructive way? Conflict can illuminate differences between people and in the process it can help us grow, if we allow it. But pushing it to the point of belittling the other person or their views is never, ever productive.
And sometimes it seems like our response is harsher if it is a Christian that disagrees with us. I hate to say it but often times we eat our own. Rather than seeking peace, we often times automatically wage war, moving straight to the big guns instead of giving everyone an opportunity to understand why we have differences.
God's desire is for us to bring people together, to build bridges, not walls, wherever possible. Not at the sacrifice of the Truth, but especially within His church.
Try this the next time you are faced with a "conflict": Instead of heading straight into battle and chucking rocks at your "enemy" find a way to show them the grace and love that your were shown and build a bridge instead of a wall. That gesture of civility will not only change you but it can change the direction someone else might be headed.
"God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9
Comments
Post a Comment