It seems today that so many are convinced they are in the midst of some sort of conflict - with coworkers, with family, and with anyone whom they perceive as a threat. Conflicts can also grow beyond families and coworkers to national issues and international conflicts. Once the conflict (perceived or real) captures your thought process it can become rooted in your inner person and create bitterness impacting many, if not all, of your relationships. Many popular psychology and self help presentations guide you to identify your conflicts and even the supposed root cause of them - but few offer guidance to navigate the way out of the conflict. The text for the 18th Sunday after Pentecost provides just such needed guidance and reads “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4 The word in the original text for selfish ambition is ἐριθεία and is often used for a day laborer or mercenary - i.e., “I’m only doing this for what I can get out of it.” Conceit comes from the original Κενοδοξία with the meaning of groundless self-esteem. And lowliness of mind, Ταπεινοφροσύνη, brings the meaning that one’s behavior should be in alignment with the inner realization of a humble opinion of where one truly fits in the broader reality of life. How many conflicts (perceived and real) would be solved by our adoption of and adherence to jettisoning our selfish ambitions, our conceit, and adopting a humble attitude toward others and life itself?
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