March 13 WHEN IT'S MORE IMPORTANT TO WIN ARGUMENTS THAN LOVE PEOPLE, WE NEED TO START ALL OVER AGAIN WITH OUR FAITH.

Affirmation: Be Courageous. Be Compassionate. Be Connected.

Brené Brown’s 1st Guidepost for Wholeheartedness is: Cultivate Authenticity. Let Go of What Other People Think.

In other words: Be Courageous. Be Compassionate. Be Connected.

"I am never more courageous than when I'm embracing imperfection, embracing vulnerabilities and setting boundaries with the people in my life." Brené Brown

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Ponder, Personalize: Begin personalizing the verse: Romans 2:11 God does not show favoritism. The question that comes to mind for me: “If God doesn’t show favoritism, then why is it so easy for me to show favoritism without much consideration?” What question(s) do you have as you personalize this verse?
Romans 2:11 God does not show favoritism.

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Mastering the 7 Decisions from Andy Andrews 

The Responsible Decision 

The Buck Stops Here!

Each of you must be responsible to do your creative best with your life. Gal. 6:4

If decisions are choices…and our thinking dictates our decisions—then I am where I am because of my thinking.

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Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love. by Bob Goff

March 13

WHEN IT'S MORE IMPORTANT TO WIN

ARGUMENTS THAN LOVE PEOPLE, WE NEED TO START ALL OVER AGAIN WITH OUR FAITH. 

A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel. 

PROVERBS 15:18 

 

Whether it was at school with a teacher when we were young or at work after we got our first job, we've all worked with someone who made the fateful decision to go toe-to-toe with the boss in an argument. Bad call. We've cringed when they've launched the initial missile in the form of a confrontational question, declaring war. With raised eyebrows and glares traded with friends, we sit back and wait for the destruction as the two gunslingers square off and pull their jackets back, exposing their six shooters. Even if they're hands-down right, we all know there's a built-in risk when our coworker pokes the dragon. And if the disagreement escalates, we can watch our colleague both win the argument and lose the job in one glorious explosion of bad judgment. 

Those moments remind us how foolish it is to try to win an argument instead of preserving a relationship. Don't get me wrong. I've been a lawyer for several decades. I've learned that whether it's with family, friends, or acquain­tances online, we lose when we argue without love. Healthy disagreement can help us all grow, but when it's more important to win arguments than love people, we need to start all over again with our faith. 

Jesus was right 100 percent of the time, but when people walked away, they felt seen and loved even when they were flat wrong. Jesus looked past disagree­ments to the question behind their questions. He saw the fears and insecurities that were driving the behaviors. He saw the need behind the facade. And when faced with the choice of winning an argument or loving a friend, He led with humility and let kindness do the talking. 

 

Many of us spend much of our lives trying to win arguments that love won a long time ago. Who has been caught in the crossfire of a disagreement you've had with them? You know what to do next. Get love back in the middle of it, or take a walk around the block and start over again with your faith. 

Who do you need to apologize to for arguing with them? Who do you need to forgive?