“Life Applications”
Conflict Resolution
Romans 12:17-21
17 Never repay evil for evil to
anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all people. 18 If possible, so far
as it depends on you, be at peace with all people. 19 Never take your own
revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “Vengeance
is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is
thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his
head.” 21 Do
not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
The only way an issue can be resolved
is if all parties involved are willing to acknowledge their fault or the role
that they played which factored into the disagreement. If only one person apologizes for their
offense and the other person accepts the apology but never apologizes for their
role in the conflict, the issue does not get resolved; it simply gets smoothed
over. In order for a resolution to
occur, all parties involved have to take accountability for their actions. Unless an individual or group chose not to
respond negatively to the conflict, each individual involved in the conflict have
a share in the disagreement. If only one
person owns their error and expresses regret for it, the issue does not get
resolved because, while they may have acknowledged their guilt, they never received
an apology for the offense they experienced.
Even though they may never voice it, they understand that they were
wronged as well.
When we are made aware that we have
been offensive toward someone, an apology is necessary, even if we do not
understand why they feel offended. We
all have things that offend us that may not necessarily offend someone
else. This is because there are many
dynamics that make us who we are and what we have experienced in our lives may contribute
to how we view and receive words and actions.
Each of us has a responsibility to guard our words and actions to avoid
unrighteous offense. We also have a
responsibility to respond righteously when we are offended.
Proverbs 19:11
A
person’s discretion makes him slow to anger,
And it is his glory to overlook an offense.
