Life is filled with many complicated issues.  Chaos abounds.  Trouble is everywhere.  Evil has a way of creeping into any system we may have thought was immune to its tragic power.  We cannot escape the perplexities of our times.  For the most part we are locked into whatever circumstances surround us.  Even church, which offers the saving grace of Jesus, is not free from the turmoil of confusion.  We are in a world obsessed with selfishness, hopelessness and godlessness.  Despair is written on our faces.  We are challenged to do the best we can with what we have as we find responsible ways to cope with life's agenda.

As we face our complicated issues we might do well to distinguish between polarities and problems.  Polarities are situations which have no solution.  They represent unresolvable differences of opinions on each end of the mental spectrum.  Issues which are clearly non-negotiable are polarities.  People with extreme opinions tend to polarize themselves from the mainstream of human thought.  It is well for us to realize that we can only manage polarities.  We do not solve them.  One of the ways we manage polarities is to look at the pluses and minuses of each conflicting view.  We seek some consensus without compromise.  We learn to disagree without becoming disagreeable.  We coexist in the midst of our differences.  On such issues our most helpful conclusion may be an admission that we have unresolvable polarities.

Problems, on the other hand, are situations which are solvable.  We may not know the solution, yet we know the issues are resolvable.  We delve into the dynamics of a certain problem with the assurance something can be worked out.  We apply the skills of diplomacy and pray for godly wisdom.  As God's spirit is allowed to work in our minds, stubbornness gives way to submission and darkness gives way to light.  Forgiveness and grace rule over the problem until its solution is achieved.  Of course, a problem can become a polarity if we choose to exaggerate our opinions.

Let us, therefore, grow through the management of our polarities.  We maintain our convictions, yet accept the reality of other options.  We pursue our problems with their solutions as our goal.  We invite God to teach us to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." To understand this approach to life's complexities can be redemptive.  Learning the difference between polarities and problems can eliminate much frustration.