Fix The Levee Leak Before The Breach!
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.’ (Proverbs 17:14)
Had Russia and Ukraine been able to discuss their disagreements with each other, it is possible the war between them could have been avoided. They may have ‘agreed to disagree’, and kept their current positions static. A disagreement is like a leak; if patched, the leak stops. If the leak continues without a patch, it can eat away the dam until a major break. Like the dam break, however, once the water begin to flow, it won’t stop until either the water completely runs out or the dam is able to be repaired. Until either happens, the water flowing out can cause great damage and disruption. War is the same, until both sides agree to end the conflict, there will continue to be death, destruction and disruption on both sides.
Taking this to a ‘least-common denominator’, if you have a ‘beef’ with another person, it’s best to talk with that person before the ‘beef’ becomes that ‘quarrel’ that breaches the peace between the two of you. Quarrels between two people usually affect many others. A family member quarreling with another can lead to others in the family affected, with other members choosing sides (either by force or by acquiescence). The quarrel can continue long after one party has passed as memories are long; the conflicts between the Hatfields and the McCoys, Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants, the Armenians and Turks, and the Jews and the Arabs are multi-generational conflicts that likely started with one of the aforementioned groups picking a fight with someone in the other group, and since then it’s been ‘on like Donkey Kong’ with continuous fighting between each other.
Among friends and fellow Christians, however, we must find and live in that common ground of the Rock. We may disagree with each other on non-Biblical matters (Bluegrass vs. Metal, for example) but we need to find the common ground that we have in our Savior, Jesus. We all have quarks and traits that can rub others the wrong way. Honest, non-threatening dialogue with often cure (or at least mitigate) those quarks and traits. Don’t let differences fester, or it may explode into a larger conflict that benefits no one else. Pray for the Lord’s wisdom and words in such matters!
