Is This How You Handle Disagreements In The Church?
Self-Contempt by William Steig
I stumbled upon this article on the late American cartoonist William Steig. As I read, I caught a glimpse of the above cartoon in which Steig illustrates the emotion “self-contempt”.
When I looked at the cartoon did I immediately think of self-contempt? Sadly not.
The first thing that came to mind was how many handle disagreements in the church.
When dealing with disagreements in the church it is easy to forget we are all members of the same body; the the body of Christ.
Paul says that “the body does not consist of one member but of many” (1 Cor. 12:14). He goes on to say that if “one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Cor. 12:26).
Despite this, instead of seeking to love and build up the person whom we may have a disagreement with, we’re quick to pull out a pistol and shoot, forgetting we’re both actually part of the same body.
When we shoot-down another brother or sister in the Lord, we’re actually shooting ourselves.
Is this how you handle disagreement in the church?
I know I’ve been quick to pull out my pistol, but God’s grace continues to teach me otherwise.