Roger B. Porter, Professor of Business and Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, spoke at BYU–Hawaii's weekly devotional this past Tuesday. His speech, titled, "The Spirit of Contention and the Path to Peace", delved into the role contention plays our lives and the steps we can take combat that by increasing our feelings of peace.
Citing an example from the scriptures, he noted that Alma the Elder and his people had "their hearts knit together in unity and love one towards another ... and they became the children of God" because they preached peace.
After sharing various personal experiences that taught him the Lord's way of peace, he gave three examples of how to reduce contention in our lives: look at how our attitude is toward others, view things through the prism of eternity, and to simply forgive.
He noted, "When we forgive, we remove a canker from our soul. We lift a burden from our shoulders. Disputation and tensions dissipate. Friendship can flourish. We look for the good and the worthy in others. We assist others in opening the door that allows the Savior into their life (Revelation 3:20). And, in the process, we are blessed with peace."
--Photo by Monique Saenz
Click here to view the full transcript of Roger B. Porter's devotional