Resolve Matters Quickly

During an outdoor adventure with my grandmother, she showed me poison ivy. I called my brother over to warn him to avoid it. “That’s not poison ivy, that’s poison oak,” he retorted. I laughed and said “how do you tell the biologist, someone who studied plant life and taught it what it is⁉️” When I have a problem I see a specialist, I don’t try to deal with car maintenance myself, instead I consult a mechanic. In the same manner I don’t try to diagnose health matters, I leave that to a doctor.

Well recently I benefited from sitting in on a meeting with a specialist discussing her respective line of work and upon asking a question, some of my peers instinctively responded to help. Innocently, I said something like no I want her to answer. Immediately I heard snickers and saw shocked faces, in the same breath I said “I’m not trying to be funny.” The damage had already been done…😞😞😞.

After the meeting I returned to work as normal and tried to reason with the feeling I had. The Holy Spirit has many hats and 1⃣ role is to make us feel guilty when we’re wrong (John 16:8) Now I recognize that our adversary has a counterfeit of every good thing God has purposed and with that in mind I momentarily wrestled over the origin of my feeling. An hour later I no longer struggled, I recognized it was God dealing with me and not 5⃣ minutes after that I made my way to apologize.

I inquired and apologized, I settled the matter quickly before it became difficult and before any more damage could be done. It is inevitable to never offend anyone and when we do we must remember to resolve it quickly. COMMUNICATION IS KEY, we must talk to and not at each other. Problems fester when we stop communicating and only escalate when we don’t listen.

Issues between you and another are only as hard to resolve as the distance between you two. The more distance you allow to develop, the harder it becomes to resolve.

1. Don’t hesitate to be the first to apologize.
2. Be quick to listen, slow to speak & slow to get 😡.
3. Resolve matters and resolve them quickly.

PRAYER

 Father, thank You for reconciling relationships and making all things new again. First, You restored the relationship with man and his creator through simply believing in Jesus Christ. Let us be like You, restoring relationships and reconciling all matters at every chance we get.

In Jesus Name! 🙏🙏🙏

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger.

Proverbs 15:1 MEV 👆

Therefore, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and remaining wickedness and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

James 1:19-21 MEV 👆

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go on your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Matthew 5:23-24 MEV 👆