Varying degrees of conflict

Conflict is inevitable. The best of friends can disagree. You can measure the impact of conflict on a scale ranging from the least impactful to the dissolution of relationships. The least impactful conflicts can center on divides on sports teams, the best vacation spots, which make of truck is the best. Those inconsequential conflicts create banter that has little impact on relationships. The other end of conflict spectrum are those issues that lend to friendships dissolving, divorce and, as we have seen in recent headlines, countries recalling their ambassadors. I contend, though, that not all conflict is destructive. Nor is God out of the picture when conflict occurs. A conflict initiated as a tool of the enemy may be the avenue by which God brings about his purposes.

In Acts 15:36, Paul comes to his friend Barnabas with the idea to return to the places they have just traveled so they can see how the new believers in the churches they started were doing. Unfortunately, the great endeavor was derailed when they disagreed over who should go with them. Barnabas wanted to take his cousin John Mark with them. Paul disagreed. John Mark abandoned them early on in the first trip. Paul was not willing to take a second chance on him. The two had such a sharp disagreement between them that they went in separate directions. Their conflict gives us a few pointers for addressing our own.

A conflict that divides is passionate. Both men were passionate about their goals and who should and should not be on the team. Passion for what to do and who to go about the mission created the conflict.

Conflict in your life stems from how you think things should be -- doing the dishes, spending money, significant decisions all stir a level of passion for the "right way" to do them. However, we need to be guarded against equating our passion with timeless principles. You can be completely passionate and be completely wrong. Passion does not always equal being right.

The enemy likes to sow seeds of conflict in churches and your life. Seeds that will attempt to divide others and derail the purposes of God. But God is not surprised by what happens. God brought something better from this conflict. Instead of one team, there were now two. John Mark was given a second chance and proved himself faithful. Faith in the middle of conflict means trusting that he can bring good from the most destructive battles.