Matthew 7:3, 5 (NCV)
One of the most important life skills we need to learn is conflict resolution. If you don’t learn it, you’ll spend much of your life miserable. Why? Because we’re imperfect people and we have conflict almost every day of our lives.
To resolve conflict, you sometimes have to make the first move. And to do that, you’re going to have to ask for God’s help.
It takes courage to approach someone you are in conflict with and tell them you want to sit down and work it out. Once you’ve taken that step, you don’t start with what the other person has done wrong; you don’t make accusations or list ways you’ve been hurt. You start with what you’ve done wrong.
You can always find something to confess. Even if the conflict is 99.99 percent the other person’s fault, you can admit your part. Maybe it was your poor response or your attitude. Maybe it was the way you walked away. You have weaknesses in your life that others see clearly, but you’ve never seen. Those are your blind spots. That’s why you need to come to conflict resolution with a humble heart and begin with your own faults.
What’s the piece of wood in your eye that is keeping you from seeing the situation clearly? Did you cause conflict by being insensitive? Or were you overly sensitive? Did you not show compassion for the person who was hurting? Were you being overly demanding? What are your blind spots?
Once you figure them out and confess them, you’ll be ready for the next step in conflict resolution.
One of the most important life skills we need to learn is conflict resolution. If you don’t learn it, you’ll spend much of your life miserable. Why? Because we’re imperfect people and we have conflict almost every day of our lives.
To resolve conflict, you sometimes have to make the first move. And to do that, you’re going to have to ask for God’s help.
It takes courage to approach someone you are in conflict with and tell them you want to sit down and work it out. Once you’ve taken that step, you don’t start with what the other person has done wrong; you don’t make accusations or list ways you’ve been hurt. You start with what you’ve done wrong.
You can always find something to confess. Even if the conflict is 99.99 percent the other person’s fault, you can admit your part. Maybe it was your poor response or your attitude. Maybe it was the way you walked away. You have weaknesses in your life that others see clearly, but you’ve never seen. Those are your blind spots. That’s why you need to come to conflict resolution with a humble heart and begin with your own faults.
What’s the piece of wood in your eye that is keeping you from seeing the situation clearly? Did you cause conflict by being insensitive? Or were you overly sensitive? Did you not show compassion for the person who was hurting? Were you being overly demanding? What are your blind spots?
Once you figure them out and confess them, you’ll be ready for the next step in conflict resolution.
Talk It Over
What keeps us from seeing our own sin clearly?
How do you think it affects the other person when you start conflict resolution with confession rather than accusations?
Think of an unresolved conflict in your life. How will you move forward with resolving it? How will you make the first move?
- by Pastor Rick
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Prayer:
Father,
In the midst of discord, remind me of my imperfections. Fill my heart with humility, so that I may acknowledge my role in this conflict. Grant me the strength to let go of resentment and the courage to forgive those who have wronged me. May this act of forgiveness pave the way for reconciliation, healing, and a peaceful resolution. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen
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