“Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!”
Have you ever had conflict with someone? If you are a living breathing human, the answer to that is a definite “yes”.
The moment we form a bond with another human being one thing is for sure, we are going to have conflict. There are many reasons why: personality differences, sinful natures, selfishness, lack of consideration, lack of communication. You name it.
In my natural wiring, I do not beat around the bush and I really like for people to tell me what they are thinking or feeling, especially in conflict.
However, so many of my closest friends and family are literally the opposite and need time to think and process.
Here is a piece of advice for the one who is like me and wants to hash it out right then … be careful that you do not have an emotional explosion. And for the person who needs to process and think, be sure that you are not
simmering and stuffing.
In this passage, Paul calls these two sisters to live in harmony with one another in the Lord. We can only assume what their conflict was. Today I think of all the reasons why women can be in conflict: a hurtful
statement, being left out, not feeling heard by the other person.
Whatever the conflict was about, Paul urges these two sisters to live in harmony and invites others in the church to help them. Then he implores all of them to rejoice in the Lord, not just once, but twice. To rejoice is to feel great joy or delight. How odd! In the middle of conflict Paul is instructing these two sisters and the rest of the church to rejoice.
When rejoicing is only seen as a celebration, smiles or laughter, we miss the depth of joy. To rejoice in the Lord is to acknowledge His presence and find a deep delight to be in His presence. Furthermore, to rejoice in the Lord with His holy people is to acknowledge the presence of those who we are around and find deep delight in being with them. When we are in conflict, we can easily lose that delight to be with that person.
However, as we further read into this passage, we must acknowledge the nearness of the Lord. Do you believe that He is with you and living within you as a follower of Jesus? Living in this awareness of Him and
laboring in prayer with a grateful heart bears the fruit of His Spirit that is so incomprehensible we know it does not come from us. This creates a strong fortress around our hearts and minds and allows two
sisters to go from conflict to harmony with one another.
Contributing Author Info:
Author Name: Talia Thomas
Bio: Talia Thomas is a wife, mother, and native to Southern California. She
is the host of the She’s Rooted podcast. The She’s Rooted podcast is all about helping women accept, receive, and be rooted in the love of God and in return love Him, themselves & their neighbor deeper and more sincere. She has a deep love for the local community of believers God has placed her in and is passionate in facilitating the local body in worship and praise to Jesus through singing and guitar. Talia also works as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, providing supervision for behavior therapy for children with Autism. Her life goal is to know
and be known by Jesus and to love everyone she comes in contact with.
Email: taliamontoya@gmail.com
Social Media Handles: @taliathomas
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