Conflict is inevitable. We all encounter experiences where conflict arises in our lives. Usually, this conflict is with the people we care about the most.
We carry our burdens around like heavy loads, too afraid to put them down, lighten them, face them.
Every day we that we continue, we feel worst and worst, more and more shattered by the thoughts that cloud our heads. Thoughts that fill us with worry and anguish. We know were hurt and don’t want to feel that way but we don’t know what to do.
So we carry on because avoiding confrontation is easier than facing it. Unknowingly, we allow it to continue to poison us rather than facing it and putting in behind us.
So why is it that this happens to us so much. Is it because we are conflict magnets? Is it because we did something wrong or we were wronged ourselves? Who really knows. All there is to say is that there are always two sides to the story and only one way to resolve the issue. The way is to face it. It’s the difficult but only way.
I’ve recently faced one of those forks in life where it seems as if conflict just poured into my life. I started to wonder, what did I do? How could I have done things differently? Why did this happen and why are they doing this to me? Until a simple thought came to my head. Start forgiving and just face it.
At first I thought, “Well I’ll just go to that person and tell them I forgive them.” Until God showed me that the outlook I took was completely wrong. What I needed to do was apologize.
I’m sure you think that sometimes, there’s no need to apologize because you logically didn’t do anything wrong. However, the best way to resolve any conflict, especially with someone you truly care about, is to say you are sorry. The reason why is because it will benefit the both of you. Most likely, the other person feels wronged as well.
After all, there are always two sides to every story. Also, if you really think about it, you probably did do something wrong. What better way to live than to be humble and willing to put yourself out on the table rather than be prideful?
The worst thing that can happen is that they don’t accept your apology and choose to be prideful themselves.
The other option is to humbly put your feelings on the table and be honest about how you feel about what’s going on. Pray that the other person has an open heart to accept how you feel and understand where you are coming from.
The important thing is that when you approach unresolved conflict, you go into with a humble and clean heart. Go into it with the right mindset. Don’t approach a situation when you are still angry or hurt to the point that you can’t think straight about the situation.
In the end, if that person truly cares about you and is meant to be in your life, you will both find a way to resolve it together.
