No Quarreling

Proverbs 17:14 The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.

Strife➡ Contention in anger or enmity; contest; struggle for victory; quarrel or war.

Contention➡ Strife; struggle; a violent effort to obtain something, or to resist a person, claim or injury; contest; quarrel.

The beginning of anger, struggle, and quarrel as when one lets out water: therefore leave off the effort to obtain something before it gets to the point of not yielding to reason.

When I was a child and up until the time I went into the Military we had horses. The pasture where we kept our horses had a fairly good size creek running through it. On both ends of that creek where it entered the pasture something had to be done to keep the horses from leaving by way of the creek bed. So gates were built. Now these gates were built high enough to let the water run under them and high enough for when the creek rose but still low enough to keep the horses pastured. If a rain came and the water rose too high too fast then the swing of the gates were comprised and the gates would be endangered of being destroyed. If we knew of the oncoming storm then we could raise the gates for the oncoming water therefore save ourselves the trouble of rebuilding.

Could this be what we're being taught here? It's better not to start a quarrel but to stop it before it becomes an argument and gets out of control. This will save us from having to rebuild the relationship.  We're not always right and sometimes when we are does it make the difference of destroying a relationship? Choose your battles!