We cannot escape it. We live with it every minute of every day – in our human interactions and in the choices that we make.

Those of us in Christ often endeavor to hand those interactions and choices over to the Holy Spirit to lead us in making decisions that are consistent with God’s will. But it seems fewer and fewer of us willingly make that handoff.

Dictionary.com defines friction as “dissension or conflict between persons, nations, etc., because of differing ideas, wishes, etc.”

The God-fearing may seek to find refuge from such conflict in the house of worship, shifting preoccupations from work, family challenges, financial troubles and more to find peace with their brethren in Christ. For some, however, the house of worship has itself become a house of discord, no longer a refuge for those who seek the peace of immersion in God’s word but instead presenting another source of friction based on peripheral criteria (e.g., politics, vaccines, etc.).

Friction, like sin, ultimately finds its roots in pride.

The apostle Paul, foreshadowed the world in which we would live nearly 2,000 years later while cautioning his protégé about false teachers:

“If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.”

1 Timothy 6:3-5

Indeed, one consequence of pride is friction stemming from disputes, envy and useless wranglings. It is the decayed fruit of an unquenchable craving for status among men and the abhorrent potentiality of relegation to irrelevancy.

It is not just pride that contributes to friction – it is what is often missing when pride is so pervasive: respect and responsibility.

How many times have we heard the words “respect must be earned?” This expression turns my stomach. Respect is a given! Each and every person is made in God’s image and deserving not only of respect, but the agape love the Lord commands that we display towards our fellow man regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, social status or politics. The failure to give respect to another of God’s creations is, perhaps, the ultimate display of egotism. Disrespect reeks of superiority – not only superiority over the disrespected, but superiority over God’s will. We can and do disagree with one another – on many matters. But God has given each one of us the free will to make our own choices. And each one of us will face His judgment.

A closely related concept is that of accountability or, more specifically, our culture’s collective inability to accept responsibility for our outcomes. If things turn out well, we’re all too thrilled to pound our chests, point at our wrists (“It’s MY time) or do a touchdown dance because, of course, it’s all about me.

But if consequences impugn one’s status among men, fewer and fewer are willing to accept responsibility for those consequences – whether it is on the playing field, in the boardroom or political elections. Instead, we point to extraneous factors, the shortcomings of others, blame God, or simply lie.

All of it friction. The intensity of that friction is directly related to the level of respect accorded to our fellow man – and the degree to which one is fated with a lack of humility. As we see on the playing field, in the boardroom and in the political domain, some individuals are friction magnets. Unfortunately, there are those who are so self-absorbed that friction is their lifeblood.

The friction “velocity” – for lack of a better term – is not abating. Not in our culture. Not in our country. Not in our world. Instead, it is accelerating as each of us becomes more and more entrenched in our pride-driven bubbles.

The trajectory is frightening. What is to be done?

I certainly don’t have all the answers. But it clearly starts with personal responsibility.

As a Christian, a husband and a father, I am committed to being an example of faith, humility, love and grace. In other words, I strive – and mostly fail, of course – to be Christ-like. But I strive nonetheless, for as the apostle Peter instructs us:

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

‘Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth’;

who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

1 Peter 2:21-23

What does it mean to commit oneself to Him who judges righteously? Perhaps most importantly, it means that we must cease seeking the approving judgment of men. If we can take that step – granted, a massive one for most – we can give our neighbors the unqualified respect God demands for those made in His image.

It also means that, as God’s children, we will never be relegated to irrelevancy. We may not have status with men, but we will always have it with the Lord. And by “always” I mean always…as in for eternity.

Finally, it means that each of us may exercise his or her God-given free will to make choices for which we can willingly assume responsibility. Repentance cannot come without the assumption of responsibility; and the Lord’s grace proceeds from repentance. For as long as we have made the choice of faith, Christ’s blood on the cross ensures that our bad decisions are forgiven and our ultimate outcome will be a glorious one.