With Fourth of July just a day a way, the pop, pop, pop of firecrackers will sure to be around. The cascading colors of reds, blues, greens, and whites have a way of lighting up the darkness of the night sky. And because the colors are so nice and beautiful, we don’t really mind the sound of the booms and bangs.
But when it comes to our relationships, the noisy sounds of brewing strife do not come with the nice after effects of arrays of colors. Proverbs 26:20-21 reminds us just how the flames of arguing ignite.
Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down. As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.
Has chord of strife been weaved into the pattern of your most treasured relationships?
Two Ways to Unravel the Chord of Strife
1. PATIENCE: Have you found yourself becoming a little less patient with others? Proverbs 15:18: A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.
2. END SOME CONVERSATIONS: We all have matters that we feel passionate about but some time it serves us best to table some conversations to another time. Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. Proverbs 17:14
Extending more patience and knowing when to zip those lips sound rather simply when you type it. But in the heat of the moment it’s much harder to implement.
Wishing you and yours a very Happy 4th of July! And may the only firework show you see be in the air and not within you!
Photo Courtesy of Morguefile
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Amen. Amen. Amen. May we have the grace to be still, to listen, to hear, to wait and see what God will do. Praying for peace in our hearts, calm in our souls and the mind of the Spirit of God as we celebrate the July 4. Blessings to you, Wanda; more than you can ask or think or imagine.
Thanks LaVonne and same to you!
so true.
Blessings to you Denise.
Hope you enjoyed the day! The fireworks were aggravating on the way to work tonight, lol! I had to turn my car around so not to disrupt the neighborhood show.
You are so right about ending the conversation. It works, otherwise you’ll end up regretting something. We can’t help but stand firm to our passion!
Hi Joi, my apologies for the late reply. For some reason your comment got marked as spam. I did enjoy a great 4th of July. Hope you have a great week.
zipping my lips…..something that is coming easier these days
now that I have less energy for the drama:)
would have caused a lot less pain over the years
if I hadn’t felt compelled to always have my say,
even before I calmed down and had a pray.
Grateful for restoration and the way healing happens
when we open and yield to the healer:)
thanks for the sweet nudge,
Jennifer
It’s one of those lessons I find myself still attempting to learn Jennifer.
great quote…..
takes 2 to argue & fight, one to finish it all.
So true!
I need patience when driving. I admit, that is when I backslide. (My wife says all the way into the trunk sometimes.)
All the way to the trunk…that’s too funny. Being behind the wheel does kind of bring out another side of me some times.
Yes, I can relate the weather here is so humid-it tends to spark discomfort. Simple things start to brew into arguments. I am fine unless you move my post it notes by the computer. I have notes with poems and ideas scattered around. If anyone touches them I kinda see red-not the star burst pretty kind~
Hope you had a wonderful holiday!
Oh yes the hot weather can be quite the drain and tends to shorten our fuses. I’ve been using the sticky notes tool on my computer. It’s quite helpful
Love the wise words of Proverbs; they just tell it like it is~ha! Patience is something that has not always been my gift, but thankfully I have learned over the years to stop, think, and pray about things before reacting first. 🙂
Hope your holiday was blessed!
Denise
Now that’s a lesson we all can stand to learn. I had a great holiday weekend. Hope yours was a good one Denise.