Conflict and Confrontation


I’m not very confrontational. In fact, I’m at nearly the opposite end of the spectrum. I avoid situations that involve confrontation as much as possible. If it means I need to sweep things under the rug and try to forget about them or deal with them on my own accord, I would rather do that than go to someone with my faults and sin or to lovingly show them their sin. However, due to academic reading I have been doing lately as well as long-time work on my heart by the Spirit of God, I am realizing areas in which confrontation is necessary. As I learn to confront certain situations I rely heavily on the Lord to keep my voice steady and my eyes dry, as I am also a very sensitive, emotional person. Regardless, with the scholastic learning also comes life application. Following is a journal entry from not long ago, regarding this subject:
“For a long time I have been desperately and passionately asking God to draw me nearer to Him. Yet I feel a distance. I have been realizing the reality of how sin has separated me from Christ, and I want to deal with that sin, but only in a superficial way. I didn’t want to deal with the stuff that could actually get messy. I didn’t want to deal with confrontation. God knows I hate confrontation so surely I wouldn’t have to do anything with that, right? Wrong.”
I go on to describe a particular instance in which the conviction that only comes from the Lord arrived in a situation that I knew I needed to confront and seek reconciliation and restoration. Only by God’s grace and power was I able to confront the person and the situation and feel better about it afterward. That same day, after the confrontation I wrote the following in my journal:
“This is the freedom the Christ offers! Confrontation and reconciliation is hard… This is not easy stuff; but it is the means by which we receive the healing and freedom that we need and that which I so desperately desire!”
I thank God for teaching me about confrontation in love, with restoration as the goal. I still make mistakes. I still tend to do everything else before confrontation, or I confront with the wrong attitude and motives. Regardless, this situation serves as a good reminder to me that it is possible, and it is what we, as believers, are called to.
2 Corinthians 5:18-20- “All this is from God, who through Christ, reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

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