Early Christians studied hard, focusing on big themes over details

“Stop, drop and roll.” Growing up this what I was taught to do if I caught on fire. Only once did I need to remember this. My hair momentarily caught fire because my brother used newspaper to light the grill. I panicked and whacked at my flaming head. While my hand was fine, my middle school confidence was shaken as I sported wonky bangs for the next semester.

More often than physically being burned, I’ve been burned with angry words spoken during disagreements. Countless times I’ve been the person with a fiery tongue. During arguments on topics that are near to my heart, in my frustration I need help choosing my words. At those times I need to remember my childhood admonition to “stop, drop and roll.” When applied to hot tempers it reminds me to:
· Stop before I speak angry words.
· Drop to my knees and pray. (Even if I can’t physically kneel, I can have a mental posture of humility.)
· Roll words tempered with kindness from my tongue.

I wonder if James fondly remembered how Paul and the other church leaders resolved the disagreement about circumcision when he opened his letter telling us to be:
· quick to listen,
· slow to speak, and
· slow to get angry (James 1:19, NLT).
This is so unlike me. My nature is to listen last and get angry fast. I naturally get mad when I feel unheard or misunderstood which is why I need supernatural help. The Holy Spirit offers me temperance (patience) to cool my temper. I just choose not to exercise patience because my will (and my temper) cloud my thinking. The problem is both in how I act and how I think.

As I read today’s Scripture, it reminded me of a quote that helps my thinking. It hangs on the wall in my dentist’s office in front of the exam chair, offering: “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love.” While the author is anonymous, it seems like Barnabas or Silas from our readings could have penned it. As my dentist works on my teeth, God works on my heart. I ponder how beautiful it would be if I could live this way. What if we, as Christ’s church, could live this way and model it for the world?

It starts with us, yet sometimes it’s more about having our point heard and getting the last word. In the heat of the moment many things seem essential when they are temporal. Personally, I need help discerning what things are truly important and worth fighting for from those things that are less important and better left undebated.

In Acts the early church was dealing with divisive issues that some deemed essential because they had been key to the Jewish faith. Within our church family today we too are dealing with divisive issues. Perhaps within our own families we have conflict. Different generations often have diverse ideas on how children should be raised or how money should be spent. Perhaps within our own marriage there are clashing opinions on how to manage work schedules or divide household responsibilities. We may disagree about how much television or screen time should be allowed for our children. Disagreements with those we hold most dear can be most difficult.

God made each of us unique and each have distinctive viewpoints. And while differences will always exist and are natural, we have the supernatural help of The Holy Spirit, our Counselor and Comforter, not just living with or beside us but living within us. He helps us think and act lovingly to find common, holy ground. For this I am grateful.