“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…”
When Jesus talks about managing something, he is referring to the proper responsibilities that come with an investment. A steward does not manage things for his own pleasure but for the pleasure of his master. I think this is the best way to think of conflict. A conflict is not God’s curse on you, it’s in the words of one writer, “a management opportunity.” It is quite fascinating how these virtues build on one another. Without going to too much detail, we can say that love and joy prepare us to manage conflict well. Someone who is selfish and prideful will look at conflict as a way of getting what they want. They will not steward conflict with godliness. In short, stewarding conflict will require love and joy. So, in the middle of conflict, we need to realize that these principles need to be at work. And this works well with our children: we remind them and ourselves that the goal of conflict is wholeness, peace.
