Relationship issues…we all have them. What’s the best way to handle conflict with others? There’s a popular meme on social media: “It’s more important to be loving than to be right.” While I suppose it’s possible to be both, the point is that a “yielding” sort of kindness takes us a long way toward happy connections with colleagues, friends and family. My colleague, Ingrid Peschke, writing for September 20, 2017 edition of The Christian Science Monitor, shares some uplifting thoughts on the topic. Her own experience in yielding as a metaphor for prayer in times of relationship struggles is inspiring. Here’s Ingrid:
Yield signs on the road require drivers to slow down and look both ways. Sometimes, the traffic is clear and you can get moving right away. Other times, you have to be very patient and wait until the way opens up.
This simple traffic lesson can be a metaphor for prayer. I’ve found that when challenges arise, turning to God for answers often requires patient listening for and yielding to the ideas that come from divine inspiration. Sometimes it’s tempting to hit the gas and move full speed ahead with a personal agenda, but the yield sign is a reminder to be patient and pause instead.
I’ve learned that this process of yielding is about cultivating a willingness to listen to God, and then to allow the peace and love of God to fill our hearts and mind. Then, feeling God’s closeness and care, we can let the intelligence of divine Mind guide us. This scriptural benediction sums up this kind of prayer: “And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ” (II Thessalonians 3:5). The passage reminds me that we all have an inherent love for God, for what is good and right, and we can let that direct our every move. And it is the Christ, the healing presence of God’s goodness, that inspires tender, loving care for our neighbor; that blesses our way, even when there seems to be conflict brewing….
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