Set Your Sights On Things Above
We so quickly get our eyes off God. Let's get back into
perspective.
perspective.
12/31/2019
Blessed are the PeacemakersMatthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Most of us know that the coming year is going to see conflict, so I think there needs to be a greater call for peacemakers to be active among Christians. I believe there are legitimate moments when a third party to a situation can come in and act as a peace-maker. However, I think there are a couple things to keep in mind if you are going to fill that role. In that light, I've compiled a list - call them "Rules of the Peace-maker." Just remember that I compiled these rules by first breaking them all myself, so I'm only preaching to me first. First, get both sides of the story before empathizing with one side too much. Remember that most of us tell first the facts that make us look best. The first thing you hear is likely the version skewed to cast that person’s side in the best light. This may not rise to the level of ‘lying,’ but it needs to be taken into account whenever you are acting as the listener. Second, don’t tell one side what the other one’s problem is when both sides are not present in the conversation. The role of peace-making is one of reconciliation and sometimes interpretation. It is not tale-bearing. It’s a fine line, easily stepped over, so take care. Third, don’t let one side’s point of view color your analysis too much. A peace-maker is also a natural “situation analyst,” but doing this instinctively does not always mean your analysis is accurate. Be willing to modify your analysis of the situation once you have all the facts, with the understanding that you might have to tweak it several times still before you are completely correct. Lastly, don’t rely too heavily on your assumption of either side’s motivations. You might be right, you might be wrong. You also might still not have all the facts. Being in the role of peace-maker does not guarantee that people will tell you ALL of the facts. They hold back what they think makes themselves look bad, or they don’t even realize something in the situation could be playing a part in their issue. People lie to both others and themselves. Them loving you is not enough to verify they’re telling you an unbiased tale. |
AuthorI'm Sherry Chamblee, aspiring author of Christian fiction, mom of six, wife to a cool dude, and caregiver to his granny. Besides that, I am just little old me - it's just a phrase, I'm not really old, honest. Check out my new release!
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December 2019
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