“Fight or Flight”? Have you heard this phrase before? This is how behavioral experts describe the human tendency to react when threatened. In the most primal experiences it can be a choice between life and death.
In human relationships, however, this is not so much the case. Certain human personalities will often gravitate more naturally to either “fight” or “flight”. When we add the complex layers of family influence, learned coping skills, and the relational pain we experience throughout life, the waters get even murkier. Then, of course, there is the residue of sin and its connection to fear – and ultimately death – that we constantly deal with.
So, how does the Lord call us to handle conflict in our families, relationships, and especially within our church family? Often “fight or flight” is not about survival for us as much as it is a derived selfishness or a way to protect ourselves from the discomfort of healthy Christian behavior and love. But what response should we have to legitimate sinful, patterned behavior, and the clear harm done to us and others (or the perceived harm)? What does Jesus actually model and teach regarding the IMPORTANCE of conflict in the church?
Holy Scripture repeatedly teaches that CONFLICT is an important characteristic for health among the Body of Christ, but how does this square with the priorities of truth and love?
I hope you will come and find out this Sunday.
Blessings,
Father Tom