We’re divided men perhaps more than we care to admit. While part of us wants to go left, another part wants to go right. And we experience this personal and often intense civil war in many ways throughout our life and relationships.
For example, we might experience it as a conflict in our emotions – part of us being excited while another part is also sad.
We might experience it in the warring of our desires – part of us wanting to make the move into something new while another part is also okay keeping things unchanged.
And this internal civil war plays out as well when part of us wants to do the good we know we should while another part doesn’t.
Certainly, navigating the different thoughts and opinions of others is difficult. But this reality is generally easier to understand and accept.
It’s much harder to fully recognize our own inner conflicts. Our tendency is to overidentify with certain parts while ignoring the others.
For instance, it’s often much easier to express our angry parts than our sad, lonely, or otherwise vulnerable parts. And in time we become so identified with anger we might actually forget those other parts are still present.
In the end, the door to true peace remains closed when we allow certain parts to bully and completely dominate the others.
However, as we learn to listen within and honor all our different parts, even those undesirable ones, we can move toward greater peace and harmony.
No longer does our civil war keep us stuck and unproductive. Rather, it challenges us to wrestle with ourselves as we discover our deeper yes and all that God has for us.
Don’t let your personal civil war take you out. Honor the different parts of yourself and find peace.
