‘Let’s just agree to disagree.’
Coming on this race, I never knew how hard it would be to deal with people who didn’t agree with what you agreed to be true and biblical. It actually makes it even harder when you’re both followers of Jesus and you both think you’re right.
Three months ago, when my original team and I were in India, I struggled a lot with this issue. Some of my team had problems with our ministry contact, the ministries we were asked to do, the Indian culture and its ways of doing things. I didn’t agree that these were serious problems therefore, this disagreement grew to become a resentment towards my team mates. When I tried to “correct” them on their attitude and viewpoints, looking back, it wasn’t right or out of love. I was self-righteous, prideful and had a hard heart and I was wrong to judge them and look down on them for not agreeing with me. Praise the Lord that He was able to redeem us during debrief and we were all able to open up, listen, apologise, forgive and grow from this experience. It was a beautiful thing that happened despite the crazy month and I swore to myself that I would never let it happen again.
This month with my new team and another team, I’ve found myself to be experiencing the same problems that I had in India. Remembering what happened, what I learnt from that experience and not letting it replay itself again, I tried two things that I have found to have made a real difference this month: Spending time praying and asking God to help me love and give grace to my squad/team mates unconditionally, and seeking guidance about what I should or shouldn’t say, do or think from His Word.
Even though it breaks my heart that my squad and team mates are struggling this month, I know that this is their journey with God and their own issue. I can’t and have no right to judge them, change them or resent them because they have different opinions to me. All I can do is love and respect them, give them grace and time to deal with their issues on their own, and pray for them like how God tells Job to pray for his friends in Job 42:8b.
My views are not more accurate and biblical compared to my peers, but in this season, God is teaching me to commit to reading His Word, spend time with Him in prayer, in particularly asking him for strength and perseverance when I’m weak or give up, obey His commandments to love Him and love others, and do ministry like He tells me to do it in:
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1 Peter 2:13-21 – “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men…. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honour the king. Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”
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Colossians 3:23-24 – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
I can’t let other people’s opinions and emotions affect me and my race. All I can do is be an example and do the race like how I’ve been called to do it and work with the ministries like how I believe Jesus would do them.
Is there anyone that you are struggling with at the moment? Are there disagreements between you and them? How are you responding to them? Is it working? Is it out of love? Sometimes the only thing we can do is pray for them, spend time with God and make sure your own attitude and character is right with Him. It’s been a hard journey but I’m glad God is continuing to teach me lots through it.
