Conflict

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
"'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— (Matthew 10:34, 35 NIV)

What a strange thing for Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to say! But is it really? Jesus came to save the world and change the world. Few changes are made peacefully. We resist change so fervently that is often only conflict that can force it.

If we all agreed on everything, this country would still be paying taxes to England... without representation. If we all agreed on everything, we would still be buying and selling people in the slave market. If we all agreed on everything, women would still remain barefoot and pregnant, spending her time cookin' supper while she waited for her man to come home! What changed all of these things? Conflict.

Conflict MAKES us think about what we believe and what side to choose. And that is what Jesus wants us to do. He does not want us to blindly follow the status quo. He wants us to think... to use our brains... to study his teachings so that we discover what he was really all about and then to choose and fight for what we believe in in order to keep this world changing for the better.

This world is headed for a great change... politically, economically and spiritually. All of these arenas are full of conflict right now. The world is ripe for change. We need to find the heart of Jesus in these conflicts and figure out where he would stand so that we can stand with him.

Finding the heart of Jesus will probably require a great conflict within our own hearts and minds. We may have to give up ideologies and suppositions that we have been taught since the cradle. We may have to change ourselves and our own hearts and minds before we can be a part of the world's change.

Conflict is hard. I have always run from it whenever I can. It sometimes even makes me physically ill. But conflict is necessary and it is time to face it and deal with it and make something positive come of it.

Lord Jesus,
It would be nice if like we used to say in the 60's and 70's "we could just all get along." It would be nice, but it would be unproductive and even undesireable. Help us to find your heart in all the conflict in this world today and stand with you. Amen.

Joys: finding time to read; beautiful and meaningful song lyrics; a hike today!