Tools to Use
During my early years in ministry I came across explanation as to why people respond, react and at time overreact to events in their lives. It had seemed a man was lamenting the damage that was done by the local fire department to his property. In his view they had called way more damage than what the situation called. In response to his lament a friend replied, " you need to remember a fireman has two main tools at his disposal: a hose and an axe. When you call them they are going to use one or the other."
As I ponder the way people treat one another in our culture today I have come to the conclusion that we as people often treat one another with the tools we have at our disposal. So if all we have at our disposal are words that are intended to damage or harm one another (words that we have learned because they have been used on us) then that is the tool we will use.
While traveling back home after visiting my parents in Arkansas the car I was driving just stopped dead in its tracks. Since it had happened on another occasion there was a small inexpensive part bolted on the fire wall that needed changing. It took a wrench or a pair of pliers to change the part. As I looked through the car the only tool I had besides the tire changing equipment was a hammer. No matter how I used the hammer it would not get the job done because it was not the right tool for the job. I made sure the next time we took a trip to have the right tools in the car in case something happened.
Likewise in our relationships we need to use the right tools our own lives if we are going to build relationships that last. A good place to start is with what the Apostle Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy , Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, and Self-Control. When these tools are kept close and available their use will make a difference in our lives when building lasting relationships.
During my early years in ministry I came across explanation as to why people respond, react and at time overreact to events in their lives. It had seemed a man was lamenting the damage that was done by the local fire department to his property. In his view they had called way more damage than what the situation called. In response to his lament a friend replied, " you need to remember a fireman has two main tools at his disposal: a hose and an axe. When you call them they are going to use one or the other."
As I ponder the way people treat one another in our culture today I have come to the conclusion that we as people often treat one another with the tools we have at our disposal. So if all we have at our disposal are words that are intended to damage or harm one another (words that we have learned because they have been used on us) then that is the tool we will use.
While traveling back home after visiting my parents in Arkansas the car I was driving just stopped dead in its tracks. Since it had happened on another occasion there was a small inexpensive part bolted on the fire wall that needed changing. It took a wrench or a pair of pliers to change the part. As I looked through the car the only tool I had besides the tire changing equipment was a hammer. No matter how I used the hammer it would not get the job done because it was not the right tool for the job. I made sure the next time we took a trip to have the right tools in the car in case something happened.
Likewise in our relationships we need to use the right tools our own lives if we are going to build relationships that last. A good place to start is with what the Apostle Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy , Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, and Self-Control. When these tools are kept close and available their use will make a difference in our lives when building lasting relationships.
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