Brightly Relating To OthersSample

Character comes first

Spiritual growth comes by rightly relating to others. The Christian community and the world we live in are laboratories of learning. We learn what to do and what not to do in the context of human relationships. People in families, neighborhoods or any societal groups learn how to relate to authority, to those older or younger, to those of a similar ethnic background or different ethnic backgrounds, to those of the same gender and to the opposite gender. 

Most family, church, small group, and individual relationships rise or fall based on their ability to communicate and resolve conflict. God has created this laboratory of learning because none of us are born with the character necessary to manifest Christ in these situations. We, the children of God, bear His image; thus, we think, communicate, feel, and make choices differently from the rest of the created world. We can learn how to be kind rather than cruel and gentle rather than rude. We can choose to live in the Spirit rather than in the flesh.

We all face problems with people. Sometimes situations escalate and take a good portion of our time, our thoughts, and our energy. God is so good He gave us in His Word reliable courses of action to solve any relationship morass we may get ourselves into. He teaches us how to deal with obstacles and will provide us with numerous opportunities to resolve conflicts in our lives and in the development of our ministry. If we follow God’s lead, we will be taking ourselves into a journey to real, long-lasting peace.

Everyone finds themselves in situations where they overreact or are wounded by another person’s words or actions. Before taking any step towards conflict resolution, first we must evaluate our own heart before God by prayerfully reviewing the Scriptures. A person growing in Godly character evaluates their situation first before God. Many relational inequities exist in the realm of our ministry, the workplace of family, in order to provide proper instruction and training in relationships. Rightly relating to abuse and misrepresentation brings grace to the situation. The Bible teaches that there is a time and a place to speak into any situation and that God is more interested in us successfully relating to each other than we are. We can surely count on His help and wise guidance every step of the way.