Many of us have been a part of a misunderstanding. Whether you're the person being misunderstood, or you're misunderstanding someone else, it can be frustrating! The key to quickly resolving misunderstandings in order to abstain from further conflict is to effectively communicate. That ambiguous word: communicate. Discuss the problem in a kind way so that everyone feels valued. If misunderstandings are not cleared up, it can lead to major problems in a relationship or otherwise.
No one likes to be misunderstood, especially the potential wrath that may be associated with negative misinterpretations or misunderstandings. Just such an example occurs in Mosiah, chapter 20.
After the death (by fire) of his wicked father, King Noah, King Limhi takes control of the land. He is more wise than his father and more obedient to God's commandments. In order to preserve the lives and land of his people, he has entered into a contract with the Lamanites to give up 50% of their increase. That's a lot, but hey, it saved the people's lives after his father's big mistakes.
Things are going fine and dandy for King Limhi until he sees the Lamanites busting into his land to war. Not understanding why the Lamanites were breaking their contract, he immediately gathers his army and fights off the Lamanites. It isn't until the Lamanite king is brought to him that King Limhi begins understanding what went wrong. Thanks to Gideon, King Limhi is able to clarify what really happened to the Lamanite daughters and the war ends (for now).
You see, wicked King Noah had some wicked priests. These wicked, COWARDLY priests left their wives and children when the Lamanites had invaded and killed King Noah. These wicked priests left to save their own skins. Consequently, they felt pretty sheepish for so doing and didn't feel like they could come back to the people of Limhi. Enter dancing Lamanite daughters deep in the woods... the wicked priests catch sight of the daughters, capture 24 of them, and voila! A war starts among the Lamanites and the people of Limhi because the Lamanites ASSUME it was the people of Limhi that took the daughters.
The moral of the story is that the war wouldn't have started had the Lamanites actually peacefully come to the people of Limhi to find out what had happened. Because the king of the Lamanites acted out of anger, rather than trying to gain understanding, a war ensued and many people lost their lives (the king of the Lamanites ALMOST being one of them). It is better to try to understand a situation rather than making assumptions about it. Take time to ask before you assume. You might be able to stave off your own proverbial war.
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