Conflict is inevitable wherever people live, work, worship, or serve together.
It appears in families, ministry teams, churches, committees, friendships, and businesses. It may begin with gossip, an unresolved team tension, competing visions, a deadlocked decision, self-righteousness, or a dispute over responsibilities and resources.
Conflict itself is not proof that a relationship has failed. The greater danger is allowing it to remain unaddressed or handling it destructively. Poorly resolved conflict can spread through a family, church, or organization and damage people far beyond the original disagreement.
Handled wisely, conflict can clarify needs, repair trust, and strengthen relationships.
How do you usually respond?
Some people avoid disagreement, while others attack, give in, or insist on winning. Reflect on the conflicts you face at home, on a board or team, within a ministry, over a shared vision, or with people outside your organization. Your usual response influences whether tension moves toward resolution or grows.
Change the way you see the other person
Colossians 3:12 describes God’s people as chosen, holy, and dearly loved, then calls them to compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. In conflict, it is easy to reduce another person to the problem they represent.
Pause and remember that the other person is more than this disagreement. Seeing them as someone loved by God does not erase the issue or remove the need for boundaries. It changes the spirit in which you pursue truth and resolution.
Excerpted from Reconcilable Differences: Strategies for Your Journey through Conflict.