How have you been facing conflicts in your life? Do you get angry and can’t solve situations? Have you been seeking God’s help? The truth is that we all face daily conflicts, whether they are at home, at work, or even in our relationships.
Last month we started a series of messages with the theme “Joy in Peacemaking,” written by Damir Kramaric from Croatia, talking about the importance of finding joy in the midst of conflict and being an agent of peacemaking.
Conflicts
I want to highlight a very interesting conflict that Damir Kramaric treats very well in his scripts. It is the conflict in Abram and Lot. Abraham is Lot’s uncle and they are on a walk together, but one important fact changes all of this and is reported in Genesis 13:5-9.
V5: Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. V6: Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. V7: And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. V8: So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. V9: Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
Interesting to note three situations within this story.
• The first is that Abraham as an older man would have the right to choose first, but what did he do? He gave up his right to avoid conflict.
• The second point is that in the face of this attitude of Abraham, he not only blessed Lot but also all those around him, thus avoiding conflicts and quarrels among his officials.
• Finally, instead of making the conflict even deeper and more intense by claiming what was right for him, Abraham promoted peace with this grand attitude of generosity and love.
But what about us? How have we been promoting peace?
Another series that will be on our schedule next month is “Living in Conflict” by Greg Taylor. This series is very practical and portrays attitudes of our day that bring us conflicts whether they are at home, with friends, or at work. I also want to emphasize three very interesting points within Greg Taylor’s scripts.
• The first is when you are in a time of crisis or conflict, listen to the other side first instead of attacking.
• The second point is: Take time to reflect on the issue.
• Third is to understand that if you are also part of the conflict, you must forgive.
The issue of conflict resolution really matters because we deal with it day by day. I am grateful to collaborators Greg Taylor and Damir Kramaric for blessing us with such valid and present content in our lives.
Finally I want to thank all of you who have been with us all these months and remind you that we are about to complete one year on the air with messages to the public in Portuguese.
So at the end of August we will be completing 10 months on air. I want to take the opportunity to ask everyone to pray for the conditions of Alaska antenna number 1 to be in perfect broadcasting condition, as they have had problems for several weeks. Also, to ask all to pray for the program in Portuguese, for all the collaborators, for my life and my family, for the people who help this work financially, and for our signal to be clear and audible to all who hear us. God bless you all.
