“But
Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended
to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done,
the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and
your children.’ And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.”-
Genesis 50: 19-21
Conflict does play a significant role in our lives.
It is an inevitable experience in this world. The way conflict impacts our
lives depends on how we respond to it. It is an unfortunate reality, but
conflict exists in everyone’s life whether we are Christian or not. God’s word
shows how conflict impacted the world from the very beginning and conflict will
occur at the end when He and Satan have their final battle. However, just
because conflict exists does not mean that Christian values should be thrown
away.
A prime example of conflict in scripture is the
story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50. Joseph is a young man who was given visions
in his dreams of his future leadership. He knew it was from God and he shared
it with his family. The dreams were not taken very seriously or very well,
especially by his brothers, and this is where the conflict began. Joseph’s
brothers became jealous and their hearts became filled with angry thoughts that
caused them to lash out and attack.
They concocted a plan to murder Joseph and lie to
cover up the murder. However, God put mercy into the heart of one of the
brothers and saved Joseph from this disturbing plan. So, his brothers sold him
into slavery (because that’s so much better) and Joseph went through several
different trials while moving on in his life. As Joseph developed a closer
relationship with God through his struggle he was able to move into a position
of power and leadership.
Then a famine came upon the land and Jacob, Joseph’s
father, sent Joseph’s brothers to Egypt to get the grain that had been stored
up by the people due to Joseph’s wisdom and leadership. This created an
opportunity for Joseph to attack back but, through God’s grace, he was able to
control his desire to bring revenge on his brothers and “overlook the offense”.
He gave love to his brothers and his father and made sure that they recognized
that he had forgiven them for what they had done because he saw the big picture
involved in everything that had taken place in his life.
Joseph’s reaction was due to his focus on God. His
heart was rooted in faith and dependence on God’s wisdom. He never lost track
of the dreams that God had given him. He trusted that God was going to come
through with His promises even if it meant that he had to go through hard times
in his life. It was a struggle, but he maintained a God-ward focus in his work
and his life.
This perspective helped him make the right decision
in regards to interacting with his brothers in the conflict resolution. He had
the opportunity to ruin the lives of his brothers, but because he maintained a
focus on God, his heart was filled with the grace of God. Alfred Poirier says,
“At the root of conflict, we find not only inordinate desires but also despair
and unbelief. We stop believing God can change us, let alone change the other
party. We especially grow cold to the truth that grace effects change.” This could have been the attitude of Joseph,
but in the end he chose to exhibit God’s grace to his brothers and therefore
realized that the grace he bestowed upon them created change in their hearts.
They now viewed him as more than a brother, but their leader. Keeping a
God-ward perspective can help us resolve conflict in our lives. Trust Him and allow Him to work in and
through us in order to handle the issue we are facing.
How do you react when you face conflict? Are there
ways you can improve?
Poirier, Alfred The Peacemaking Pastor (Grand
Rapids: Baker Books, 2006.)
No comments:
Post a Comment