Response to “Conflict is the Only Way”
This was a scenario I experienced last year. The answer was neither a) for Chrissy to shut down emotionally nor b) for Jill to start exploding. There needs to be a very honest conversation where both girls feel safe. Jill in particular is in danger of not feeling safe if Chrissy reacts aggressively. On the other hand, Chrissy may not believe Jill’s sincerity unless there is some emotion tied to it. Both sides must give and through it both sides will grow.
Deference is the key here – both girls must learn to serve the other and not judge their own point of view as “right” and the other as “wrong.”
Does God Love Africa’s AIDS Orphans?
There is a psychological term called “cognitive dissonance” which basically describes the anxiety one feels when confronted by uncomfortable or alarming realities. We instinctively react when we discover news we do not like or do not believe we can handle. Psychologically, we spend as much time as possible finding a way to bring this dissonance back into harmony so we can cope. Sometimes this may mean denial or apathy, other times it might motivate us to make a difference. What secular psychology does not factor in, however, is God’s role in all this.
I don’t have as much a case study today but more a matter of cognitive dissonance. When I was in Swaziland last year, I learned that the AIDS infection rate had risen (as best as could be assessed) to over 50% of the population. 50% – half of the population of Swaziland is infected with a disease they will die from. The witchdoctors of the area prey on the superstitious individuals there telling men if they sleep with an uninfected virgin they will be cured.
The babies and young children don’t have a chance. Many are born with the virus and few survive past a few years.
Being there, holding orphans, seeing the pain, discomfort, the travesty that is present, one has to ask where God is and if He truly loves these people.
Wouldn’t a good God spare the innocent of this plight? How do you look an African child in the eyes and tell them God loves them even though they are likely to die an imminent, painful death?
