TAKE THE FIRST STEP OF RESOLVING THE ISSUE!!

Being set in our ways is a fault that almost everyone has to deal with. I was reminded this past week of a phrase that my father repeated many times the last few days of his life. The phrase was, “somebody’s got to make a move or we are going to be here all day.” Often, it is important that you be the person who makes that first move. Especially when you are attempting to settle disagreements and conflict that has come up between you and others. God tells us that it is more important to settle the differences than to point out the guilty party. (Matthew 7:3,5 Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 5. You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.) The hardest thing in resolving conflict is to accept that part of the problem may be your fault, but God tells us this is where we need to start. The problem may be 99.9 percent the other person’s fault, but you need to examine what you can confess first to start the resolution process. Maybe you were insensitive or over sensitive. Maybe they didn’t feel you were very compassionate to their hurting. Maybe they felt you were overly demanding. What are your blind spots? Things you don’t recognize very easily in your actions or lack of action, once you figure them out, you will be ready to proceed in resolving conflicts. Be the bigger person. Make the first move. Confess your wrong first. It is be a great start to resolving the issue. Pastor Don