I... beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have

been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other,

making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every

effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

—Ephesians 4:1–3 NLT

lthough God has designed us as individuals, we cannot live apart from other

people. We are called to relate to one another in such a way we fulfill our

potential and help others to fulfill their potential as God’s image bearers. Because

people need one another, we gather in groups, such as families and communities. We

speak often of the family as the foundational building block of society. The best cement

for holding these blocks together is love—love for one another and love for God, who

loves us in return.

However, our relationships with other human beings are very fragile, imbued with great

potential for disagreement and conflict. The fact we are not all alike contributes intrinsically

to the inevitability of diverse opinions, choices, and styles; the fact we are fallen human

beings contributes to the inevitability of disagreement and estrangement.

A

Conflict in Families

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