When Strife Is at the Door
We all find ourselves in situations where we’re tempted to argue and get into strife. We know we’re right about something and the other person is wrong. We want them to know we’re right because it feels good, and we want to fight back. But being right is overrated if it steals your peace and leads you into conflict. You can be right and just produce strife in your home. You can be right and have no friends. You can be right and be miserable.
Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). He doesn’t say, “Blessed are the people who control situations and make them go their way.” He doesn’t say, “Blessed are the ones who are right all the time.” He says, “When you walk in peace and are willing to be a peacemaker, you will walk in the fullness of God’s blessing.” That’s the key. Be a maintainer of peace.
Joel and I were at an event when a man whom we didn’t know began a conversation with us. He was very passionate about an idea that he was trying to persuade Joel to believe, and the longer he talked, the more intense he got. Joel mostly smiled and occasionally nodded his head. After the man was finished and walked away, I said, “Joel, why didn’t you tell him what you think about it? I know you don’t believe what he was saying.” Joel looked at me and said, “Victoria, I wasn’t put on this earth to straighten everybody out. I would rather hold my peace than prove him wrong.”
The apostle Paul says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). When you allow other people to be right, it doesn’t make you wrong. It makes you a peacemaker. Sometimes you just need to smile and nod your head so you can live at peace with someone. That doesn’t mean you have to be others’ doormat and agree with everything they say or that you’re not allowed to have your own opinion. It means you are sensitive and aware when a conversation is going too far and getting heated. You understand when strife is knocking at your door. In those moments, peace is your guard and guide. The peace of God inside you is God’s way of saying, “Hey, wait a minute. I have complete control over this situation. Don’t push back. You don’t have to prove yourself. Leave it to Me to handle. Be a peacemaker.”
Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). He doesn’t say, “Blessed are the people who control situations and make them go their way.” He doesn’t say, “Blessed are the ones who are right all the time.” He says, “When you walk in peace and are willing to be a peacemaker, you will walk in the fullness of God’s blessing.” That’s the key. Be a maintainer of peace.
Joel and I were at an event when a man whom we didn’t know began a conversation with us. He was very passionate about an idea that he was trying to persuade Joel to believe, and the longer he talked, the more intense he got. Joel mostly smiled and occasionally nodded his head. After the man was finished and walked away, I said, “Joel, why didn’t you tell him what you think about it? I know you don’t believe what he was saying.” Joel looked at me and said, “Victoria, I wasn’t put on this earth to straighten everybody out. I would rather hold my peace than prove him wrong.”
The apostle Paul says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). When you allow other people to be right, it doesn’t make you wrong. It makes you a peacemaker. Sometimes you just need to smile and nod your head so you can live at peace with someone. That doesn’t mean you have to be others’ doormat and agree with everything they say or that you’re not allowed to have your own opinion. It means you are sensitive and aware when a conversation is going too far and getting heated. You understand when strife is knocking at your door. In those moments, peace is your guard and guide. The peace of God inside you is God’s way of saying, “Hey, wait a minute. I have complete control over this situation. Don’t push back. You don’t have to prove yourself. Leave it to Me to handle. Be a peacemaker.”