As I left my office for home sometime in January 2020, I passed by 2 elderly men conversing with each other. My attention was drawn to these men due to their heights. They were distinctly different from each other, as one was short and the other, tall. Yet, they carried on their conversation effortlessly with the short man looking upwards and the tall man looking downwards. Immediately, it occurred to me that both men instinctively made a compromise to enable them foster their relationship.
This realization hit me really hard especially with reference to troubled relationships, particularly marriages. When 2 people come together in marriage, they are like the 2 distinct elderly gentlemen, with different beliefs and possibly, cultures. Rather than one party maintaining a stance with the expectation that the other would move over and vice versa, couples should endeavor to create a middle ground in order to foster and maintain their relationships.
This also relates to any and every relationship. Have you ever asked yourself how siblings relate with ease while still under their parent's authority? Perhaps, because they believe they do not have a choice but to get along until when they are able to leave that environment. More often than not, the bond created during the "growing up" years fosters a lifetime of cherished relationships. Indeed, with conscious effort on the parts of all concerned, relationships can be nurtured to an enviable and desirable level.
Follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).