do you want fewer conflicts?...

do realize that you’ll have fewer conflicts if you’re open to the correction of others? this is a tough one. proverbs 13.10 (ncv) says, pride only leads to arguments.

that is a great verse for married couples to memorize. pride only leads to arguments. anytime you get in an argument you can know that pride is rearing its ugly head.

i hope you’ll memorize that verse and put it in your mind. sometime this week you’ll get in an argument with somebody you love or somebody you don’t love, and GOD’s going to say, “remember that verse? pride only leads to arguments. you can calm it down if you will reduce the pride in your life and you’ll have a more humble attitude and you can see what’s causing the problem. it’s always, always behind any argument – pride is rearing its ugly head.

now every time you are criticized, GOD is testing you. anytime you are criticized, GOD is testing you to see if you are going to respond in a defensive way, an offensive way or a humble way.

here is something else. do you ever catch yourself relational skimming? it’s when your schedule gets so full and so busy and so overloaded you stop having time for the most important people in your life – your kids, your husband, your wife, your friends, relatives, people you care about. and you just don’t have time for them. if you’re married, sometimes it’s like two ships passing in the night – as you’re going out the door, they’re coming in the door. you have little snippets of time for each other, but you’re not getting real quality time. you’re skimming on your relationships.

i wonder how many lonely wives are reading this right now. or lonely husbands. or lonely children. or lonely grandparents. because in our prideful desire to do more and get more and be more or have more and do our plans and our agenda, people get skimmed who we should be caring about. who do you need to go to and ask the question this week, “what’s wrong in my life?”

do you have the guts to do that? humility is not for wimps. it’s not for pansies. it’s not for passive, low self-esteem people – insecure people. do you have the courage to go to the person who knows you best and ask, “what’s out of whack in my schedule? what’s out of whack in my values? in my life? what is out of priority? what’s wrong?” it takes enormous courage to be humble. who do you need to ask?

just a thought from the front porch