FAMILY DISAGREEMENTS

"They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left..." Acts 15: 39


These were two passionate, spirit-filled men of God, both called to preach the gospel. Both felt that they were RIGHT. As I read this story, I had a profound thought: Maybe they were both RIGHT... they were following God the best way they knew how, and compromising their conviction was unacceptable. We know that they both had incredible lives that honored God and furthered the kingdom of God, yet, in the middle of their "ministry" they had a huge disagreement and parted ways.

I HATE conflict of any kind. It is usually pretty easy for me to apologize and I try to be open to correction (I'm thankful for the kindness of my friends), but when it comes to my family or faith, I feel like a Mom Bear. There is no room in my heart to compromise what I believe to be RIGHT, but I also know that it is never my place to judge someone else's actions or faith. DIFFERENT does not equal WRONG. The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts, leads and teaches. I pray that He would teach me to see beyond my small mind and world of "right" and "wrong."

He created us all to be DIFFERENT!!

Lord, protect me from wanting to conform or trying to conform others. May I always stay true to the calling you have placed in my life, to be who you created me to be and to always honor you as I walk this path you have before me. In Jesus' name, Amen