Turning Confict into Connection
“… if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with each other,
and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin.”
1 John 1:7 (TLB)
To turn our conflicts into deeper connections, instead of disconnecting and distancing our relationships, we need to know the difference between a fight and a fellowship. What is a fellowship? Maybe you’ve heard the simple answer: “A fellowship is two people in the same ship.” I like to look at a fellowship as two people on the same side of a struggle. Do you know what they call two people on the opposite side of a struggle? A Fight! (or Democrats and Republicans) I hoped you laughed at that! It was a joke - lighten up already!
Seriously though, when you are convinced the other person is wrong and you are right, it’s easy to lose your fellowship with them and your joy in the relationship. But what do you value more – your opinion or your relationship? Like the comedian who said to a young married couple in conflict with each other, “You can be right, or you can stay married!”
Learn to fight for the relationship instead of with one another. How do you do that? Get on the same side of the struggle. Your real enemy is not your spouse or friend. The Bible says we don’t wrestle with flesh and blood. Our real enemy is the world, the flesh, and the devil.
So, how do you maintain fellowship when you’re in a conflict? In 1 John 1:7, an aging apostle offers some wise counsel to those to whom he wrote this letter that we will benefit from as well. If we want to have wonderful fellowship and maintain joy with each other, John says we must live in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does. Do you practice the presence of God in your life? How consciously aware are you that, as a Christ follower, Jesus came by the Holy Spirit to indwell you 24/7? He promised never to leave us or forsake us. He said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” Matthew 28:20 (TLB)
As we cultivate the presence of God, His Spirit enables us to experience fellowship and joy with others. That fellowship and joy flow out of a common denominator. It’s not that we agree on everything but that we are both sinners in need of forgiveness. What enables us to have wonderful fellowship and joy with one another is the fact that the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us (both of us) from every sin. We may not connect in agreement on every issue, but we find our deepest connection in Christ and the blood He shed so that our faults, failures, and sins could be forgiven. His sacrifice builds the bridge that reconciles our lives with God and one another.
If you find yourself out of fellowship with others, ask yourself if you are walking in the light of God’s presence as Christ does. What portion of the conflict do you need to own and confess? Then, celebrate the joy of forgiveness and get on the same side of the struggle.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.