For this final post on creative conflict I want to return to what James says in his letter. He mentions two related principles for Christians to use as they deal with conflicts in the community of faith.
The first is to humble ourselves before God, to submit ourselves to God’s will. When we find ourselves in conflict, focusing on the discernment of God’s will takes us beyond personal preference. We seek the common good, what’s best for the community.
This emphasis on discovering God’s will helps us manage our anxiety. It reminds us to trust in God, not in ourselves. We believe that God is going to lead us and we act on that belief.
That means that we trust God to give us what we need. James says, “You do not have because you do not ask.” (4:2) When we don’t rely on God to give us what we need to do God’s will, it is no wonder we feel anxious. Then we have only ourselves to depend on and we should be anxious. Trust in God is the way to overcome our anxieties.
Another basis for the approach James recommends is to “Love our neighbor as ourselves.” James gives us a picture of what this looks like. He says, “ the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.” (3:17)
We need to be able to look beyond our own desire to seek the common good—the good of the neighbor, the community of faith. One of the ways that love for neighbor will manifest itself is that we will put the best construction on all that our neighbor says and does.
When we humble ourselves to seek God’s will and we focus on the needs of the neighbor,hhhh those attitudes and practices will help us deal with the conflicts that inevitably arise in all our relationships.
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