Continuing a theme we began last Monday, I want to talk more about conflict and our response to it today. Again, relying on the excellent tools at Peacemaker Ministries, we learn that our responses can be summarized as a “Slippery Slope.”
Many of us, seek to deal with conflict using Escape Responses (found on the left of the slippery slope). Here is a summary of these:
Escape Responses
The three responses found on the left side of the slippery slope are commonly used by people who are more interested in avoiding or getting away from a conflict than resolving it.Denial—One way to escape from a conflict is to pretend that no problem exists. Another way is to refuse to do what should be done to resolve a conflict properly. These responses bring only temporary relief and usually make matters worse (see 1 Sam. 2:22-25).
Flight—Another way to escape from a conflict is to run away. This may take the form of ending a friendship, quitting a job, filing for divorce, or leaving a church. Flight may be legitimate in extreme situations (see 1 Sam. 19:9-10), but in most cases it only postpones a proper solution to the problem (see Gen. 16:6-8).
Suicide—When people lose all hope of resolving a conflict, they may seek to escape the situation (or make a desperate cry for help) by attempting to take their own lives. Suicide is never a right way to deal with conflict (see Matt. 27:1-5).
What about you? Are you guilty of these kinds of escape? Be honest and notice our tendencies in this regard and through the Gospel, seek to change. More to come on this…