How true that simple proverb is! I have wasted countless amounts of energy in my life striving to win arguments, and at what cost? For me, strife almost always eventually leads to losing my temper and saying or doing things I will come to regret--often instantly. Unkind words are not soon forgotten. My wife and I (like most or all other couples) have had our share of arguments. I know that both of us have said things to each other that are not quickly forgotten. Some of them I have hung onto for years. When there is discord, not much else really matters. It becomes the all-consuming thing in our house until it is resolved. The same can be said for wherever I am: home, work--or even Church. Discord is often a very unhealthy distraction that takes me away from my primary purpose in this life.
Knowing that strife inevitably brings anger, it is best to be avoided at all cost. Sometimes it seems almost unavoidable, but since God's Word clearly indicates it is something to be avoided, God provides a way. Rather than live in discord, it is better to live in accord with what God desires for us as His children.
Patience is better than power, and controlling one’s temper, than capturing a city. -Proverbs 16:32 (HCSB)
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