Pastor's Weekly Update

JUNE 30, 2022

Lakeshore Friends—

Conflict is everywhere and we can’t escape it.  I don’t expect that to change for the better anytime soon.  In fact, I think the trend is clearly pointing toward “worse”.  At times, our conflict is with people that we hardly know and if we can’t work it out, we move on.

But what about when the conflict is with someone we know… well… really well? And love… a lot… a real lot?  And the relationship is stuck… a lot… a real lot?

Those are the ones that hurt the most, don’t they?  And because they hurt the most, we want to resolve them the most.  That’s because they mean the most.

If you want to resolve a relationship that is stuck neck-deep in conflict, you are going to have to examine three things

1. Yourself and your part in it.
2. Your approach and what works best for them.
3. Your attitude as you work through the conflict.

We’ll unpack these principles in a fascinating little passage that ends Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians (5:12-28).  I think you’ll see how Paul’s inspired approach can give you the best odds of getting a stuck relationship unstuck.

After all, the people we really know and really love are really worth it, aren’t they?

Warmly,
Vince