“Con…”

My title this morning is not a typo.  What it is intended to represent is the act of stopping conflict in the middle…the act of starting to get upset but then being mature enough to stop before the conflict is fully developed.  The idea comes from Proverbs 20:3.  Let’s read that now:

It is honorable for a man to stop striving,
Since any fool can start a quarrel.

There are several proverbs like this one found in Solomon’s advice and counsel to the world.  The idea is that an honorable man can stop quarreling, can put an end to strife.  The honorable man doesn’t have to engage in conflict or if the conflict is already going on, the honorable man can put a stop to it.  The second half of this sentence is also true; “any fool can start a quarrel”.  It is easy to start an argument…very easy.  But it is not profitable to do so.

We should do everything that we can to avoid quarrelling.  Some conflict is inevitable and some conflict is actually a part of God’s plan; but the honorable man seeks a quick resolution to that conflict and in many cases, can stop the conflict before it becomes fully engaged.

In wisdom,
Eric