This is http://www.essayz.com/a9211181.htm Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay Click HERE on this line to find essays via Your-Key-Words. {Most frequent wordstarts of each essay will be put here.} ========================================================== %PRESENCE LOVE POWER JUSTICE INTEGRITY CONFLICT JOY 921118 We may with joy resolve our conflicts in the presence of God's love, power, justice and integrity. In God's presence we may safely be secure in joyful vulnerability. We cannot with fear resolve our conflicts in the absence of God's love, power, justice and integrity. In God's absence we are defensively insecure in fearful vulnerability. We cannot resolve our conflicts by ourselves; for our conflicts entail our relationships with each other. Conflicts have to do with inter-personal relationships; the resolution of conflicts must therefore occur within the context of inter-personal relationships. We cannot resolve our conflicts through manipulative techniques; for manipulative techniques engender fear and defensive responses. We may resolve conflicts in the presence of God's love, power, justice and integrity; for they engender shalom and open and honest responses. We cannot resolve conflicts through winning in any battle; for the losers of battles will perpetuate the conflict, even if conflicts persist only in our memories of the futility of the destructions of the battles. We cannot resolve conflicts which exist inside us through the winning of any battles inside us; for the internal losers of the battles will persist inside us in conflict with the winners of the battles inside us. To each conflict outside us among personal incarnations of conflicting ideals, values, goals, visions, dreams and expectations---there may be an inside conflict among those ideals, values, goals, visions, dreams and expectations. We tend to both internalize and project conflicts. They are not objective realities which exist apart from us and our relationships. Conflicts exist within us and our relationships. We may with joy resolve our conflicts in the presence of God's love, power, justice and integrity. In God's presence we may safely be secure in joyful vulnerability. (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================