But the Lord God called…. “Where are you?” ---- Genesis 3:9
Conflict – it’s a fact of life. It’s so common that every relationship
experiences it. Conflict is natural
because we live in broken world.
Conflict is also neutral. It can destroy relationships but it can also
deepen them. Conflict can work against
us, shredding trust, ripping even old friendships to pieces. But it can also work for us, forging deeper
understanding and trust because people care enough.
Just a few pages into our Bibles, we
find conflict crashing into Paradise.
Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and all kinds of conflicts
erupt. They were at odds with their own
bodies, embarrassed by their nakedness.
They were at odds with each other as Adam blamed Eve. Worst of all, the guilty pair found that they
were frighteningly at odds with God.
When they heard the sound of the Lord walking in the garden in the cool
of the day, they hid.
What’s our hope in the face of
conflicts, some of which seem beyond healing?
Notice that even at the dawn of history our deepest hope in facing
conflict was revealed: “The Lord God
called……” Without God’s penetrating
voice, which speaks both truth and grace, hearts would remain hopelessly
hardened. But God can – and He does – bid all conflicts to cease.
