Fourth: Why can’t people just get along?
Some children have many ways of asking why “we” cannot just get along. As the question is posed, they refer to difficulties in making friends, issues with parents, or their acceptance by other students. Some reference world events and are shaken by the lack of “getting along.” Others admit that they believe they are the problem, but they don’t know what to do about it. Our longest conversations among our sons and daughters of the heart are about coping with hard spots in relationships. Sometimes another party has slighted them, or they feel left out or unheard. Communication issues are common. Affections are misinterpreted or wrong. In any case, they are correct in concluding “we” have trouble getting along.
There is a problem, and it is a heart problem that goes back to a separation with God that was discussed in the last post. The ramifications go directly to the lack of ability to get along with others. So, crises unfold in little ones. It’s disturbing when they see that the issues persist as they get older. As they get older, they see that nations cannot get along either. It bothers them that the leaders are usually the older generation who should know better. It’s often personal as they suffer as parents divorce, or one leaves, or a friendship is lost.
Walking in a relationship with God becomes the key to having a solution to put their crises in perspective and to find solutions. Consider the power of a couple of example verses as they pertain to relationships. They apply to every age and culture.
John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I loved you, you also are to love one another.”
Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
Of course, the walk to solve “getting along” gets practical. It takes time for a young believer to learn who they are and discover their purpose. Forgiving others of offenses or asking for forgiveness is learned over time. Curbing selfishness, a desire for control or power, and avoiding unhealthy things play a part. Sometimes the enemy of our souls and dealing with evil play a part, and these things need attention, too. It’s so important, in any of these things, that bible-believing adults stand alongside to help and encourage as they develop relationships.
The permanence of any solution to “getting along” goes back to God changing us. It can’t be done effectively without an active and growing relationship with Him, because relationship problems come out of heart problems. Of course, we can “do it ourselves.” Adam and Eve took that approach, and it still does not work. So, heart-changing is better when it involves the One who created us.
