Agitating passions.
Moral conflicts.
I don’t know why these two phrases jumped off the page to me, other than they perfectly described what I was looking for help with.
Agitating. Like a washing machine. The dictionary says it means to move or force into violent, irregular action. Or we could say, rolling something over and over to the point of agitation (or aggravation). Most of us understand passion—that powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, like love (or hate).
Should these two words even go together?
Morality is another conflicting subject because it totally depends on the person’s personal definition of principles as to what’s right or wrong. So therein is why it is followed by the word conflict. And when there’s a collision or disagreement over differing moral positions, things can go awry real fast.
I’ve experienced both agitating passions and moral conflicts. I don’t know if I would’ve described it as such before I stumbled across these very accurate definitions, but it perfectly described how I felt at the time.
Situations can start out innocent enough (don’t they all?) and then within minutes, everyone involved can feel agitated simply because of differing passions stimulated by each person’s defense of the situation. And then, often unintentionally, we find ourselves in the middle of a moral conflict—blindly seeing things only from our own perspective based on what we believed was right or wrong.
Not pretty.
I can remember a conflict much like what I just described. Later, I apologized because I knew I needed to. Right or wrong, it’s never okay to let things escalate into strife. The Bible is clear: “The wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).
The important thing is what happens next.
When I stumble, I go to the Word. And it doesn’t matter how well I know the scriptures. In a moment of crisis, back to the Word I go because it’s my source of strength, comfort, and when needed, correction.
It was in a moment of reflection that I found these words: “And the harvest of righteousness (of conformity to God’s will in thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts]” (James 3:18, AMP).
This verse first reminds us that the fruit of righteousness is “sown in peace by those who make peace” (NKJV). And the result of pursuing peace over misplaced or misunderstood feelings? Freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts.
It’s that simple.
Sometimes conflict is unavoidable. Sometimes things escalate and you find yourself regretting the damage of passionate words. But the good news is you can still sow peace by owning your part and apologizing. The problem might not be resolved, but I can tell you from experience, your inward agitation can stop (or be greatly slowed down). The negative passion will subside. The conflict won’t be as hot. And in the end, your choice for peace will reap a harvest of good will.
At the end of the day, it boils down to choice. If you miss an opportunity in the middle of conflict to choose the high road, the choice is still yours— will you justify yourself or follow God’s Word on forgiveness, repentance, and righteousness? I haven’t always chosen wisely, and unfortunately tasted the bitterness of raw emotions. I’ve seen the destruction the devil creates in its wake.
But by sheer experience, I’ve also learned God knows best. I’ve never regretted taking His Word to heart and applying it to my life.
I hope this helps you do the same.
