As a child, I always avoided conflict. I would try to navigate through it without hurting anyone intentionally. Conflict is inevitable in this life, and how we deal with it truly determines the caliber of our character. The bible is full of stories that involve conflict. In many stories, conflict was needed to usher in a positive movement and in other stories it was needed to usher in a negative movement. It is essential that we allow conflict to enter into our lives, because it always has a way to make us better Christians. If we are to apply the Word of God to every aspect of life – sin and all – we must change our attitudes about conflict[1]. When we are going through our own life situations that involve conflict, at the moments when it arises, we never think about why it was placed there at that particular time. The bible tells us that God ordains conflict for his redemptive purposes.
Before I began to write this paper I prayed about what area of conflict I needed to concentrate on. As I read through the text, the area of conflict that began to prick my soul was the issue of authority. Authority is defined by Webster as the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience. It is also defined as the right to act in a specified way, delegated from one person or organization to another. The issue of authority lies in the failure to exercise authority. This failure of authority implies that one does not abuse the authority given; they in turn do not use the authority given to them. The actions of unused authority are being indecisive and unwilling to commit to a specific course of action.[2]
NARRATIVE OF CONFLICT
There is a story found in the Book of Exodus (18:19-22) that explains how Moses failed to exercise his authority in the form of delegating leaders to help him manage the children of Israel. The 18th chapter of Exodus introduces us to the father-in-law of Moses. Jethro is not mentioned much in the Old Testament, but he is known as the father-in-law of Moses. His entrance into the wilderness and the life of Moses came at the most opportune time. Moses was dealing with so much – ministering to the people, going to God for the people, taking care of his family while serving in leadership. He worked tirelessly day and night, even though many people saw that he was tired, they never thought it to be respectful to tell him to slow down. It was Moses’ father-in-law that seen the great load that was upon Moses’ shoulders, and it was his God-given idea that inspired the need for delegation. Jethro told Moses that he needed to devote more time to God by relinquishing some of his daily responsibilities of leadership and delegating them to others. The reason for this is so that he could spend more time before God which would enable him to teach the ways of God to them more effectively. He would have to select leaders who were competent, bold, full of integrity, and selfless men to lead of the children of Israel. These men would serve as judges for the people at all times, but would have the responsibility of reporting the most difficult cases to Moses. In turn, the load the Moses (the leader) carried would be lighter because more people were carrying the burden of ministry with him.WHEN CONFLICT ARISES
Conflict will come, and we will have to deal with it. We will be forced to make tough decisions that will involve using sound judgment as well as carefully articulated statements. We must remember that we should ‘believe that conflict provides opportunities to glorify God, serve other people, and grow to be like Christ”[1]. It is important to realize that our obedience in pursuing peace must be the outflow and overflow of hearts fully aware of being saved by the Prince of Peace. We are to go back to the sermon preached on the mount where Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall inherit the kingdom of God”. What Jesus did not include in his statement is the many different ways there were to be peacemakers. There will be so many different obstacles, confrontations, quarrels, church hurt moments, and backbiting moments that were break us, but how we deal with those issues will determine how kingdom minded we actually are.
The conflicts that arise within us today bring glory to God through the reminders of our fleshly state. Sometimes, conflicts that arise send a message that we are not to think too highly of ourselves, that we are not to boast, or be over-zealous, or covet. They teach us that at the end of the day, God will use the trials we face to bring glory to our lives and open up an opportunity for someone to be changed and delivered by the conflicts that occur.[1] Poirer, Alfred. The Peacemaking Pastor. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2006.
