Deal with it and move on

Community folks pray over a new well in Burkina Faso

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Eph 4:31-32

So, what if we actually did that?  If we followed the counsel we're given, would it change things?

• A Peace Corps friend told me of his early years in Burkina Faso and in Somalia. 
• In Somalia, they were one tribe and culture, closely related, and they hated each other, my friend remembers.  When meetings were held to deal with local issues, there was always finger pointing and name calling among clan members, like, "I'm not dealing with you, your grandfather stole my uncle's cow!" 
• In Burkina Faso, the Burkinabé (local folks) just dealt with problems. "You did wrong, you pay him a goat," the elder would say, and to the other, "You were wronged, he's going to pay you a goat. That settles it, so make peace and let's move on."
• One culture carries a grudge for decades, another makes things right.  Imagine the difference in daily life and in the lessons the children learn.

Interesting observations, nothing more.  In the decades following these observations, Somalia collapsed and has not recovered.  Burkina Faso has fared only slightly better, since countries are more complex by far than villages.  Marxist influences and power players have made things more difficult.  Folks are making progress now with help from the French.  

You can't help but wonder, though.  What if we followed the good counsel we're given, what kind of towns and churches would we have?