Communicate to reconcile, not to fight awhile

Hostility severs affection. Try not to let that happen. Communicate to reconcile, not to fight awhile. I find it better to ponder people’s thoughts rather than to fight with them.

Undiscovered alternatives for healing and reconciliation await those who will listen. It’s better to untangle conflict than to cut off relationships. 

Aggression turns opponents into enemies. Love turns enemies into friends! Some things are good for both sides in a disagreement; kindness, respect, listening, understanding. Tenderness, generosity, openness, compassion, humility; we could use more of that.

God gave Christians “the ministry of reconciliation,” not of divisiveness and hostility. Kindness, listening, and empathy are mediators that can heal the wounds of conflict. Let your conscience be a mediator and show you how to handle disagreement with kindness.

Humans are equals. It’s ungodly to treat anyone as less than your equal. All humans need healing. Attacking their pain is no gain for you.

Statements that offend you often contain truth. Wisdom tries to find it. Our own misunderstanding stands in our way much more than our opponents do.

Learn to mediate with kindness, not to hate with blindness. The time to show love isn’t just when it’s easy, but when it’s hard. 

We’re smart enough to understand other people’s point of view. Now let’s be kind enough to listen. Between hard right and hard left, there are many mutually beneficial alternatives.

If people Christ is working in, gather in humility, they recognize spiritual kinship. Conflict focuses on contention; Christ focuses us on conciliation and community. If you don’t see the image of God in people you disagree with, look closer!

Lack of heart-connection with Jesus and with one another, leaves Christians divided. For Christians to be in one accord, comes from heart connection, not head agreement.