Nobody in his or her right mind would kick a land mine.
There is just too much likelihood of a terrible outcome.
But too many times, that’s just what some people do when they speak before thinking clearly.
Sometimes those “people” includes us.
Frustration over this or that prompts us to say this or that — things that shouldn’t be said — and then the situation blows up in our faces.
The fact of life was brought to mind this morning in a couple of places within my morning Bible reading.
“An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.” Proverbs 18:1
“Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.” Acts 18:17
In the first text, Solomon gives a general fact of life based on repeated observed behavior of others. Those who like stirring the pot, who like “getting in other people’s faces” and bullying them are not friendly people. That means that they’re not living to please the Lord but only themselves.
Solomon’s words are very blunt. Hopefully they do not fit your behavioral pattern even in the least.
You and I should never start quarrels because they so often lead to our net loss rather than net gain.
This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t speak up — sometimes even assertively — when wrongs need to be made right.
But such a conversation need not decay into quarreling which is a tug-of-war for conversational and situational control.
People who start quarrels are verbal bullies and we should not play on their turf. We are to avoid quarreling.
In the second text, Sosthenes was an enemy of the Apostle Paul in the city of Corinth and had rounded up a bunch of Jewish synagogue members who hated Christianity. They dragged Paul to a Roman judge to have him punished for teaching against their view of Jewish religion.
The judge told the group that he had no interest in their religious squabbles so he ordered his soldiers to throw the quarrelers out of his presence.
The synagogue members were irate that their synagogue leader had put them in this position so they gave him the beating that they had wanted Paul to receive.
In effect, Sosthenes had kicked a landmine.
Take some good advice from Solomon and refuse temptations to start quarrels, no matter how upset you become over something.
When you and I fall into the trap of verbal bullying, we are headed down an explosive road.
It’s so much better to say humble, truthful things in a Christlike manner, even when others speak in non-Christlike ways.
With patience, God will work all things together for our good if we continue loving Him and living according to His purposes.
As always, I love you
Martin
