I am about to get all #realtalk for a minute. Some times people annoy us. It could have been the person who stole your parking spot, or a rude comment; perhaps, it was someone being unsupportive or cold. Whatever the reason, sometimes we are on our last cherry coated straw, and it wouldn’t matter if the situation deserved our annoyance or not, they are going to get it; because at that moment, that final straw equals the stubbed toe from earlier, the burnt breakfast, the lost keys, the extra bill, the friend who you don’t talk to anymore. It’s a culmination of annoyances that haven’t been shaken off yet.

As a Christian, it is hard to assess how to handle conflict, at least it is for me. Verses like “keep no record of wrongs,” and “turn the other cheek,” play in my mind as I question how to deal with this mounting frustration. In a perfect scenario I would be able to overlook every offense thrown my way, unfortunately I have not reached that point yet. Things still bother me. I still have hard days where someone cutting me off on the coffee line could initiate the stink eye. So how do we address people Biblically? Does God expect us to brush everything under the rug?

Resentment, gossip, pain, and anger, these are some of the effects of unresolved conflict. Hurt by those we love, whether it be intentionally or unintentionally, our emotions stew up inside us. Instead of confronting our accuser we either talk to everyone but the one who hurt us, or bottle up the hurt convincing ourselves we should not have been hurt in the first place. Where does this get us? No where.