Tuesday; February 6

Have you ever thought about what percentage of our beliefs set us at odds with others? One of the blessings of living when and where we do is the ability to hold on to our own beliefs. For the most part, we get to decide what we choose as the foundation of how we live. While this might seem like a formula for libertine anarchy and dissention, if we were to take a test of our principles, I would imagine we would agree on a lot of things. So, why is it that we find ourselves in conflict with so many people? I believe the answer is that we spend too much time focusing on the areas where we don’t agree. Let’s say that we see eye to eye with 90% of the principles of the rest of our friends and neighbors; why is it we are so adversarial on the other 10%?

The next time we find ourselves about to go toe to toe with someone, let’s step back, take a deep breath and see if we can’t find some common ground upon which to establish our foundational relationship. When we take the effort to build a bedrock of mutual trust, even during those times we disagree we are less likely to be disagreeable. Let’s keep in mind the words of the Wise Man, “Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, but any fool will quarrel.” (Proverbs 20:3).

Think About It!

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