14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
Proverbs 17:14 NIV
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
This verse in Proverbs tells us something we all know. But it’s good to be reminded of how this works, as it’s a truth we don’t often think about.
Now, it’s also true that going to great lengths to avoid confrontations is not always a good strategy.
But it’s also true that for so many of us, we often fall off the other end of the pier, so to speak.
Too often we behave as though quarrels and full-on fights are just a part of life and they’re no big deal.
Like the writer of Proverbs, I’m not of that school of thought. Framing this in that way can definitely set us up for a lot of unnecessary conflict in our friendships, relationships and in any other sphere of life as well.
It’s a good thing if we think twice before we say or do things that could easily lead to an argument or an interpersonal “slugfest”, as it were.
Before the dam breaks.
Brother Ben
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