Dealing With Our Differences!

"Therefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath." (James 1:19) We are all of different personalities. How we relate to each other in our agreements is unique, as well as how we respond to each other in our differences. Some are more emotional than others. The attitude that just because someone disagrees with you, doesn't mean they dislike you, or hate you, and want nothing more to do with you. That is very extreme. And yet, that's the feeling, so much of the time. James has some very good advice in our text. We are to be swift to hear. We need to make sure that we understand what the other person is saying. We need to make sure that there are no mis-understandings. We must be slow to speak. So many times, people have put there foot in their mouths, and said things they really didn't mean. And thirdly, we need to be slow to anger. When emotions are stirred, it is easy to come to a boiling point quickly. Anger is an emotion, and one that needs to be controlled. Disagreements will come. But we must meet those disagreements with love. When we have the other person/or party's, best interest at heart, it will make a big difference in reconciling our differences, and maintaining that unity our Lord Jesus wants us to have. GP