“If you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another” Gal 5:15 (NASB). What a picture! This wisdom comes to us not as an amusing twist, but a way of saying what really happens. Churches, families, communities, and many other groups have been consumed by doing just that! How many groups have been destroyed, or severely damaged, because someone was “chewed out” for their actions? Prayerful thought discovers ways to express opinions in love and respect. For the sake of community, every offense cannot be confronted. It is better to suffer a hurt from the family than to destroy the family because you will not.
