15 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
    but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1

Dear God, of course, this is great advice from Proverbs (Solomon?). I’ve gotten myself into trouble when I’ve hastily confronted someone instead of taking a beat, calming down, looked for ways to assume better of them and give them the benefit of the doubt, and then talked to them in a way that communicates I want the best for everyone involved. I can think of a few instances when I spontaneously decided to nip a problem in the bud and was confrontational. It NEVER went well.

The St. Francis Prayer includes the line, “Make me an instrument of your peace.” Yes. I want to be an instrument of your peace. I know Jesus talked about NOT being an instrument of your peace. The be willing to confront. That we might have to sacrifice relationships for you.

³⁴ “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶ And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.

Matthew 10:34-36

And while I still don’t totally understand what he was saying there, I can appreciate the idea that, at some point, my values will simply conflict with the world around me and you will call me to stand up.

I was talking to the guys at Christian Men’s Life Skills the other night about “ego,” and how it can be bad, but we also need a certain amount of it to establish our ow standards and who we are. It’s how we resist peer pressure. It’s how we determine who we are in our core. It’s where we get our self-esteem. The trick on ego is to not let it stand for “Edging God Out.”

Father. I wan tto be your man today. I will have opportunities to love, advise, and help. I will also have opportunities to receive love, advice, and help. Make me a great giver and also, for your glory’s sake, a great receiver.

I pray all of this in Jesus and iwth your Holy Spirit,

Amen