When We Disagree

“When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers. Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves?” - 1 Corinthians 6:1-2 
 
Let’s face it…disagreements are not fun. When you and someone you love do not see eye to eye, it can be awkward. You might get nervous having to address the situation, or maybe you avoid it all together. Over the next couple of days, we are going to be talking about disagreements.
 
But before we dive into how you should handle a disagreement, let's first consider what you should NOT do. When you are in a disagreement with someone you really care about, there are three things you should not do at any cost. No matter what the disagreement is, it should not lead you to be disloyal, disrespectful, or divisive.

First, you should not be disloyal. In any great relationship, there will be points where you disagree. But that should not change how you treat the person. It definitely should not lead to you being disloyal and doing something behind their back that isn’t displaying love.
 
You also should not be disrespectful. When disagreements come, consider the other side. That person is coming to the conversation with totally different experiences and viewpoints. You should never disrespect them just because they see things differently than you do.

Lastly, you should not be divisive. Do not let your disagreements lead to hostility or unfriendliness toward the person you disagree with. Remember, you still care about that person and this disagreement does not change that.
 
With any strong, steady, and long-lasting relationship, you are bound to find yourself at some point or another in a disagreement. But when that time comes, do not let it affect how you treat the other person. This does not mean you have to agree with them. What it does mean is that you can disagree without being disloyal, disrespectful, or divisive.  

Remember, we want to love God and love others, no matter what.