“Hatred stirs up disputes, but love covers all offenses.”
Proverbs 10:12
Every once in a while, we may find ourselves having a disagreement or a dispute with someone. Disputes can involve anything, really. They often come from having differences of opinion, a misunderstanding or miscommunication(s) with another person. More specifically, disagreements and arguments may arise as we attempt to share our faith, argue, talk about political beliefs, and ideas, or try to defend what we say or do.
Sometimes we are confronted with baseless arguments that only serve to upset all involved. We may be caught off guard and wonder how to handle such discord to restore peace to keep the relationship going in a positive way. To do so, we must learn to ‘take the high road’ as the saying goes. If we can have the presence of mind to remember that God is kind and merciful and follow the biblical admonition to keep peace with others:
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
James 1:19-20
If we are able to do these things, we are well on our way to keeping peace, and we have the best chance to keep the relationship on track.
Surely we all have found ourselves at one time or another locked in an argument that seems to be going nowhere, fast. However, too often, anger and hurt feelings are the results of such disputes. But it doesn’t need to be that way.
So what are we to do when we are faced with such a challenging circumstance? We can look to scripture before we get into such a situation, to learn how to deal with arguments. Here are a few scriptures in the Bible that address how to keep the peace and avoid disagreements with others:
7 Scriptures to Help You ‘Keep the Peace’
“Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.”
2 Timothy 2:23
“But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths. 9 Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices.” Colossians 3:7-9
“A mild answer turns back wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Prov.15:1
“But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.”
Matthew 5:43-48
“Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but not for disputes over opinions.”
Romans 14:1
“The ill-tempered stir up strife, but the patient settle disputes.”
Proverbs 15:18
“Do not let the sun set on your anger.”
Ephesians 4:26
As we can see here, there is much to learn here about relationships from Holy Scripture. Learning to love one another—even our enemies—is central to living a Christian life. In fact, if we can do what scripture tells us, we will have no enemies, as we learn to agree to disagree—something people rarely seem to do these days. And as we learn to ‘keep the peace’ with those around us, we are far more prepared to disarm our enemies, and not grow weary, angry or upset with those we disagree with. Then we can see others in a more loving way, regardless of circumstances, enabling us to see them as Jesus sees them, through the eyes of faith.
Copyright 2023 | Adele M. Gill
THE INSPIRATION CAFÉ with Adele
BLOG & PODCAST
BLOG: https://www.theinspirationcafeblog.net/blog/
PODCAST: https://www.theinspirationcafeblog.net/podcast/
