Both ways of being—at peace and at war—cast broad shadows on the way we view others. When I relate to another individual with a heart that is at peace, I see that person in a way similar to the way I see myself. I see him or her as a human being who has hopes, needs, cares, and dreams, just as I have. It takes a heart at peace to “do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).
But when I relate to others with a heart that is inclined toward war, I see them as obstacles that stand in the way of my success. I see them as vehicles to be used and abused in order to achieve my own ends. When I approach a relationship with a heart at peace, I can see a potential partner in the other person, someone who is able to bring me added blessings. With a heart at war, I can only see someone who is irrelevant to the things that are important to me.
With a heart at war, I am inclined to view my enemy as an object. I may even imagine that my enemy is the devil incarnate. This explains why a Christian engaged in conflict may actually ask God to damn a fellow human being to hell. When I view an enemy with a heart that is at peace, I can still see him or her as a human being. I can respect the person’s rights, name, reputation, life.
Excerpt from Heart At Peace: Biblical Strategies for Christian Conflict, 2014 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved.