Rage – laugh – rage – laugh

Recently I ended a relationship with someone whom I consider to be an enigma. One moment this person is as nice as anyone I have ever met, and the next as contentious a person as I have ever met. My relationship with this person has been gut-wrenching’. We had several discussions that ended with him shouting at the top of his lungs and at times I was goaded into joining him by it. I do not tolerate that kind of conduct very well; it is something that I detest and think is deplorable and unprofessional. Many times he was as nice as anyone could ever imagine and after every incident in which he lost his temper he would apologize, but it was difficult to ignore. I did try my best to get along and find a way to salvage the relationship, but invariably it always ended up the same way.

When all of my fleshly efforts repeatedly failed, I finally wised up and I went to the Lord and asked for guidance, (something I should have done first). The problem was when I knew the Lord’s will in my heart was to go my separate way; I simply ignored it and kept trying to address the situation on my own. I was reluctant to part ways, as I stood to lose a significant amount of money and months of hard work would be for naught.

I have my shortcomings; however there is no doubt in my heart, mind, or soul that I was not at fault in this relationship. Over the next several weeks indeed I tried everything that I could to find a way to work together. Alas, this person is as unreasonable as they come with an ego that is as big as Texas and my every overture towards common sense and compromise was spurned with a salvo of harsh loud words. Finally I came to the conclusion that there was no solution aside from distancing myself from him. My strategy of grin and bear it’ failed, and as the Bible predicted I could not find peace.

The Lord did not design us to live in constant turmoil and unhappiness. It is difficult to know the Lord’s will for our lives, but the best way that I have found to know for sure is through what I call the peace factor’. No peace? You are on the wrong track. Try to fix it, but if in spite of your best efforts it simply cannot be fixed, then move on. There can be no peace if you are not within the Lord’s will for your life. It is better to lose every material thing we have and be within the will of the Lord for our lives, than to gain material things that know no bounds and not find peace.

The bottom line is: do not indefinitely contend with someone who makes a habit out of one minute being nice and the next raging like a fool, or you will not find the peace that descends from God like a comforting blanket that brings contentment that surpasses human understanding. I prefer the peace and now that I have gone my separate way I have found it again. Sweet.

Proverbs 29:9
If a wise man contends with a
Foolish man,
Whether the fool rages or
Laughs, there is no peace.