When Christians have Conflicts............

It's so confusing isnt it?..........

As Christians, we claim to be faithful people........Constanting seeking righteousness and an intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior.........

Hopefully, have our heads and our hearts in THE book and our knees bent in submission, daily..........

We are attending church, sharing our time and talents, serving our brothers and sisters, especially those in need...........

This goes without saying, am I right?................

So far, so good............

Is it not completely and dumbfoundedly the most troubling experience when fellow church members find themselves in conflict with each other?...........

It's heartbreaking.........

We are called, as Chrisitans, to a higher standard........"To love one another" are some of the most important words and teachings that Jesus ever taught us..........

Yes, we are also called to seek justice and act boldly, as we walk this journey........

But ultimately, it's about love, right?..........

And we are all sinners........We all fall short of these teachings multiple times throughout our day.......In thought and word and deed.......In things we have done and things we have left undone...........

So the difficulty presents itself when we are not loving and ungodly in the way we treat each other.......

So......how do we respond to a brother or sister in Christ who is immune to their behavior, their intentions and their agendas?..............

How can we "lovingly" respond to these transgressions and bring light to the individual?..........

The bible calls us to handle it first, by sitting with this person, one-on-one............by lovingly, patiently trying to resolve the conflict directly..........

If this does not bring resolution, we are called to bring in a third party, a mediator of sorts for help.......

If this still does not bring a solution, we are called to share it with our church, with love, truth and a humble heart..........

And even then, God may have a different plan......

He may allow the chaos, the seemingly shady undertows, for a bigger purpose.......A better purpose........

But it's still painful, hurtful and ultimately so confusing........

Especially when these are elders and leaders of the church..........

But they are no less human than I am and I know they make the same mistakes I do.........

everyday......

So we work hard to patiently bridge these gaps and faults between us.......and with prayer, study and self-control, we keep trying to walk in truth and transparency...........

We try to remain open so that the love of God will continue to shape and mold our hearts and our spirits into whom He wants us to be and become.......

That's the key here........

We must be willing to keep our eyes on Him,

On the Sparrow.......

Because I know he watches me..........

And especially today, as we mark the beginning of Lent, may we remind ourselves that we are all dust......

May we focus on Jesus and the suffering he endured FOR us!  

May we fill our hearts today with that amazing, generous and whole gift of love.......

May we thank Jesus by re-gifting that same love to others..........