Possible Peace

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 

Romans 12:18 NIV

A few years ago I worked with a guy who was challenging, to say the least, to work with. He was an argument waiting to happen. He was a teacher on the same grade level as I was so, we were often in meetings together. That guy could go from "How are you?" to "I can't believe you guys are not teaching (fill in the blank)!" in about ten seconds. Then he'd start yelling and getting red in the face, blaming everyone else for anything and everything. (No one wondered why he was divorced.) Most of the time I could kind of direct the conversation away from volatility. But, not always. 

I tried to talk to him. We tried to talk to him. The administrators tried to talk to him. He just could not grasp that the issue was the way he spoke with other people. During one grade level meeting he started self-righteously declaring that no-one else took their job seriously, cared, or had a clue. Each teacher tried to calm him down but, he was just getting hotter and hotter. Finally, I just had to say, "Do we need to call the police again?" (The police were once called to the school because he was verbally accosting one of the other teachers and refused to stop.) He, looked at me in shock, and stopped. 

A few verses later Paul says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (verse 21). By faith (that God will work things out) do what is right, do what is loving. If peace is possible, God will work it out.