Lesson 6 ~ Spiritual Leadership ~ Unit 1 Eight Fold Path Part 5 ~ Essay
By: Rev. Trent Murman
I think it is very difficult to appease everyone all of the time. However, as we grow in both our knowledge and the fundamentals of life as we know it, it becomes somewhat easier/harder to make decisions regarding "fitting in" or our learned "emotions" when it comes to dealing with people that don't necessarily have the same point of view as we do.
I think a good rule of thumb for this is to "pick your battles carefully". In other words, if you think confrontation is a definite losing battle then it might be advantageous to refrain from disagreement with the other person. Sometimes it is best to just walk away. Doing this still keeps your own convictions alive within yourself.
If, however, you feel the other person is forcing his/her opinion on others and it is done in a harmful way to either embarrass or hurt them, then the appropriate avenue to take, in my opinion, is to take them aside and bring this to their attention , they may not be aware they are doing this. I feel that in the long run they may even be thankful to you, thus changing their outlook on particular matters.
It is very easy to conjure up a plethora of emotions during confrontations. I feel to remain humble and just listen to others sometimes brings new perspectives to light. It is always good to just listen, we can all learn new thoughts/ideas. However, it is not necessary to dismiss your own values and adopt someone elses, unless you feel it is to your best interest to do so. I don't feel Jesus would have wanted his followers to be radical in nature. This can be detrimental to your ministry and may even drive some folks away. Again, "pick your battles wisely". GO IN PEACE
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