Conflict Resolution

 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

Every conflict between friends, families, etc.  boils down to one thing: self-centeredness. Children are so adorable as babies until the terrible two's come to play and it loses it's cuteness. How many adults do we know that seem to have never outgrown those toddler terrors? Disagreements come about because we so often are just thinking about ourselves much like a toddler. A toddler is only concerned with his own needs because they are the center of their own universe.   

So often, our solution to solving conflict is avoiding the people we’re having conflict with. We move out of the neighborhood, we change friends, we stop going to the same events that they attend. We figure that our universes can’t collide! But the right solution, the godly answer, to this problem is to bring the other person into the center of our universe.  

We don't teach our children to cut off their siblings when they are small? No, that would only cause emotional anger and pain but instead we teach them to forgive, make-up and be friends again.  

If we begin to put other people into the center of our universe, and they put us in the center of theirs, then there is unity! We miss out on so many blessings when we don't follow God's best for our lives.....

This picture was taken while walking on the beach November 12, 2012

Family

 Know your circle and make sure everybody in your boat is rowing and not drilling holes when you're not looking.  stevemaraboli.com

We are all full of faults and defects but we still want people closest to us to love and support us. In my own family we are very different and in my husbands family it is much the same. I'm pretty sure that describes every family because we are all so uniquely made. We are not alike and we each have been given different strengths and weaknesses. 

There are family members who may not understand or care for us but let's keep our daily focus on those who do love and encourage us. Pray for those who we are disconnected from and not take it personally. Today my sister n law and her little grand~girl made our day special; so today I am blessed by their love and desire to spend their day with us!

We can't make everyone love us but we can be grateful for those who do.....

“Let love be your highest goal.”

1 Corinthians 14:1a

This is a picture taken of my husband with his brother and sisters! 

Love

Don’t Lose Hope

 

This picture was taken September 2020 while camping in Kentucky. It was the first sign of fall to us. I placed this picture on a dendritic monoprinting technique that I painted just recently. I wrote this blog on Hope during Hurricane Season 2006.