Conflicting Views

When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him. -- Proverbs 16:7 NIV

Conflict, it seems, is just a part of life. I don't like it and when I say that I mean that I truly am not a fan of it. If Facebook had a dislike button I would be a member of the Conflict page just so I could use that button! Conflict can be found wreaking havoc in all aspects of life, can't it? Conflicts occur between parent and child, siblings, spouses, many times within ourselves, and also with God.

I think that conflict is a symptom of the real problem, and I think it can make the problem seem far worse than it really is sometimes. Conflict even in small doses serves to really turn the pressure up on us, doesn't it? It seems like things can rapidly get out of control and since most of us fall into the category of disliking it our first instinct is to run from it. I'm generalizing here, and not all conflict is minor to be sure, but I'd bet that most of the time resolving it happens when we examine that relationship or area of our life where it exists and seek God's will for us there.

The Bible tells us that when we live in a way that is pleasing to God, even our enemies will leave us alone. What a novel concept! Why do we (and I'm probably worse about this than you are) spend so much time trying to force our mindset on God instead of spending time with Him and asking to show us how to fix it?

You say you have a teenager that drives you crazy? Yeah, been there and have the T-shirt...how does God handle you when you get rebellious? Can't get your spouse to see your point of view? How much time have you spent looking into theirs? Can't figure out what to be when you grow up? When was the last time you got in touch with your Creator and asked for help?

I know sometimes what I need is a proverbial slap in the face to wake me up when I have let a relationship or an area of my personal life slide, and my belief is that conflict is not only a way to identify the problems but also a great opportunity to ask for and receive God's help. Take a look at your life and ask yourself, are there places where you need to do just that?