My son Lachlan has a great little game where a palm-sized ball asks questions, trying to guess an item you have chosen – a computerised version of “animal, vegetable or mineral?”. After about seven questions, the ball somewhat cheekily remarks “I know what you’re thinking!” – before it proceeds to ask further questions. So when I talk about the possibility of being transformed by conflict, I’m like the ball – I know what you’re thinking…
…because you are like me. Deep down, in the deep recesses of my gut, I find conflict one of the hardest things I ever have to deal with in life. I don’t like conflict. Like me, you were probably never taught how to respond biblically to conflict, even if you did grow up in a Christian home. Instead, your responses are probably largely instinctive, heavily influenced by the patterns of your family of origin, and may be somewhat hazy in terms of theology and biblical application.
