Cultivating Healthy Conflict in Relationships

Throughout any relationship, conflict is inevitable – and it can look different in different seasons or settings.  A core discipleship issue in the new family of Jesus is learning how to resolve conflicts maturely. Often times, Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:9 — “Blessed are the peacemakers” — are misunderstood to mean:

  • Avoid conflict at all costs so no one gets upset.
  • Just be nice.
  • Don’t disrupt the status quo by speaking up.

 But this is a tragic misinterpretation of what peacemaking really is. In this episode, Carley and I explore how Jesus modeled true peacemaking with radical and disruptive kindness – a kindness that challenged, disrupted old patterns, and called us into deeper growth. A kindness that even risked disconnection for the sake of deeper intimacy. We also talk about a few different conflict traps that are easy to fall into, and some of the keys for navigating conflict well. Listen in.