Taking Offense - Contention

So, I wanted to go all eloquent on this blog and post the pain I've been seeing around me. Misunderstandings. Contention. Hurt feelings.

But words fail me.

I, myself, hurt someone by something I wrote without intending to do so. Their hurt made me feel terrible.

In this mass of anger and contention that I see swirling around me, attempting to drown every person involved, I see some bits of light.

I see examples of those who refuse to be sucked into raging against those who rage against them. I see those to whom God is more important than how others treat them. These people struggle to forgive and heal - and because of their faith and dependence on the Lord, they do forgive. They do heal.

I was given this wise bit of advice a couple of hours ago:

Let this pain work in the manner it was intended, to bring you closer to Him, to seek His counsel and His comfort. He knows your heart and intentions.... Not us imperfect beings

 It inspired me to pray for the person I had not intended to hurt. I felt as if my prayers helped this person, who is going through a lot of pain right now.

That's the thing. People hurt. People misunderstand. Sometimes we don't get along like we think we should. That's when and where Jesus should be invited to step in. His love is perfect. Ours is not.

There is a movement under way. A movement that could very well land us in Zion. Because of that, the adversary of our souls is nervous, is threatened, and will do anything he can to prevent and destroy this effort.

He was successful with our forebears. Will we allow him to be successful with us? Or will our humility, faith in Christ, and our intense desires to succeed carry us through to victory?