No peace in there?

Wayne Dyer told us, "Conflict cannot survive without your participation." The conflict we feel at times is not always because someone else is causing it - there are clearly times when we are the ones choosing to engage in the conflict ourselves. There are also times when the conflict is not with another, but rather with one's own self! If we are to overcome conflict, some of us will need to deal with the internal conflict we bring upon ourselves, as well.

Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish. The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit? (Proverbs 18:13-14)

The human spirit can endure much, but when we are in conflict within ourselves for any reason, it is easy for us to feel rather 'crushed' under the burden of that conflict. Repeatedly ignoring the inner conflict one feels is kind of futile, isn't it? The more you try to sweep it under the rug, the more it rears its ugly head. Inner turmoil must be dealt with, but not just with our own willpower - we need God's strength to let go of those things we hold that result in all that inner conflict.

The very next verse in this chapter of Proverbs says, "Intelligent people are ready to learn. Their ears are open to knowledge." We cannot rid ourselves of inner conflict when our ears and heart are not ready to listen and respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit within. Some of the greatest conflict we experience is not in the arguments and hostility we express in moments of anger with another, but in the repeated times we hold onto some regret or anger toward ourselves because of some action we took. 

Dyer reminds us, "You can either be a host to God, or a hostage to your ego." So many times, the internal conflict we experience is really a result of our own ego. Our personal pride or self-absorption can be the greatest enemy to our peace. Listen closely to what God says, and you sometimes find out things about yourself that you didn't want to hear. What you do with that knowledge is what determines how long you might deal with that internal conflict! Just sayin!