Despite evidence to the contrary, we are called to live in peace and harmony, for that is how God created us. However, to paraphrase the apostle Paul, we frequently do not do the good we want, but instead do the evil we do not want. Look at the conflicts that confront us each day. Right now, two giants of the information superhighway, Microsoft and America Online, are battling each other over instant messaging, with Microsoft raiding the system of AOL just to get what it wants, to wit, ready access to the largest instant messaging system in the world. And of course, there are wars raging all over the world that maim and displace and kill thousands upon thousands of people every month.
Conflict is a daily part of our lives.
Too often, I think, when we are confronted by conflict in whatever shape it may take, we resort to attitudes and actions that escalate the conflict. It is clear from the Scriptures that God is with us always. There's not much love, and precious little God, in either attitude. And yet, God is still there, waiting for us to call upon him, waiting to bring love and mercy and the peace that passes all understanding to any conflict, no matter how great or small. Those who teach conflict resolution courses say that the first thing each person needs to do in a conflict is to pause and take a deep breath.