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Conflict & CompromiseIt doesn't take many years of living to have experienced conflict and compromise, but most of us are more familiar with the former. This is the theme of this year's National History Day. As we think back through history, there are countless examples of conflict. Every war is the result of a conflict. Every dictator who has ever been overthrown was disliked due to a conflict. Compromise, is much more difficult to exemplify. My son’s History Day project topic was “South Carolina’s Succession from the Union.” I was a bit baffled when he told me the topic he and his partners had chosen. Science has always been my preferred subject, but I did earn the required credits in Social Studies. As I recall, there was conflict between the northern and southern states, and South Carolina chose to secede from the union. The Civil War ensued and the south was destroyed. The conflict is clear. The compromise, not so much! I asked my son, “What is a compromise?” His response, after an extended pause, “Um…when two people meet half way?” Yes, it’s when two parties each give up a portion of their ideal in order to reach an agreement. I supposed the compromise here was in SC rejoining the union. All of our talk about compromise, made me begin to wonder what the Bible said on this topic. I went to Google and searched, scriptures about compromise. The one verse I had in mind was not on the list. I was thinking of, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) My thinking was, through compromise, we can keep the peace in our relationships. We can’t always have things our way. We must be open to the ideas, needs and wants of others. We must then be willing to sacrifice a portion of what we desire in order that someone else might also feel satisfied, fulfilled and loved. The Scriptures below are a sampling of what my Google search for scriptures about compromise returned.
These verses say, quite plainly--Do not compromise your beliefs. We must understand that God is our Creator. As such, we must reverence Him, obey His commands, love Him, and love others as He loves us. We are never to choose sin for the sake of satisfying someone else. We are always to do the right thing, which is revealed to us in God’s Word—not doing so is sin. We serve a jealous God. (Exodus 20:5) He does not approve of us worshipping any gods before Him. (Exodus 20:3) In our walk with unbelievers we must not be the one who is persuaded. It is our job to share the Word with them that they may grow to know, serve, and love God, too. As we seek to be the peacemakers of the world, we must make sure that our efforts to keep the peace are in line with God's plan. Thank you for reading! Have a blessed week! Kim Copyright 2018 Kimberly Griffith Massey
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If you like this style of writing, you will enjoy Turn North: A 30-Day Devotional and Journal written by the author of this blog.
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