Today’s reading: 1 Kings 9:10-28
Solomon worked closely with King Hiram of Tyre (who had been a friend of David’s) in constructing the temple and his own residence. At the conclusion of these massive and involved building projects, Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. Sounds pretty impressive, but for whatever reason, Hiram wasn’t happy with the cities. So what did Hiram do? Well, even though Solomon was extremely powerful and wealthy, Hiram didn’t shy away from addressing the situation with him, and the manner in which Hiram chose to deal with Solomon showed wisdom on his part. First, and very importantly, he spoke to Solomon in person. And when he spoke, he was calm and respectful, with no hint of power plays, threats or mind games. Hiram spoke words of truth from his heart to his friend and business colleague, Solomon.
As much as we’d like to avoid it, sometimes it’s necessary to confront another person. It’s never easy, and confrontation in a business or work setting can also be quite awkward. That being the case, how we choose to approach and handle a difference of opinion or conflict is crucial. It can literally make all the difference in the world.
How do you tend to deal with confrontation (either as the person confronting or the person on the receiving end)? What’s one lesson you learned or observed about relationships and/or confrontation from Hiram’s example with Solomon? Tami
Source: Tami’s Blog
