Conflict Resolution 101

Such fun to have the halls decked with holiday cheer to greet a bunch of freshmen in my conflict resolution class... Ho Ho Ho! (Once again, can't you tell how thrilled Poppy is to be a part of these festivities?!) 

One of my students wrote the following prayer for a reflection paper this week summarizing some of the things she has learned in the class, and it was a beautiful reminder of why I love to teach since I learn so much along the way.  This summer, Dan wrote us a card offering a prayer that this class would not just be a class on conflict resolution but also a ministry of reconciliation. Giving thanks for the ways God has used the last quarter to work reconciliation more into all of our hearts. 

Heavenly Father,

We say we are sinners, that we understand our wrongs, that we act selfishly, but we are blind; only You see the true nature of our sin.

We say that we reconcile, that we make nice, that we can handle ourselves in conflict, but we get caught up in our lives; only You are truly in the balcony with a perfectly full view of our actions.

We say that we learn, that we forgive, that we forget, but we cannot; only You can forgive so wholly.

Dear Lord, work through us, so that we may see the true nature of our sin; so that we may step back and view our conflicts from the balcony; so that we may forgive wholly and with grace.

Prepare our hearts for conflicts we may face, and allow us to react to them with humility and understanding.

Grant us wisdom so that we may always remember to view our opposites as Children of God, as souls with emotions, as fellow earthly inhabitants with circumstances unbeknownst to us.

Give us the mind to understand positions of interest, even when we are set in our ways and focused on our own goals.

 Allow creativity to flow through us when faced with a difficult situation, that we may be able to search for imaginative solutions and collaboratively carry them out.

Father, we are sinners, we are stubborn, and we harbor grudges. We have tempers, are prone to emotional outbursts, and are blinded by our own desires. We live among neighbors, yet we are stuck in our ways, and we oppose our neighbors. But we are Your children. We pray that with Your hand to hold, and Your love and glory and grace to guide us, You will instill in us the power to go, resolve, and reconcile.

In Your name, Amen.