Conflict Is an Opportunity: Seeing Struggles Through a Gospel Lens Part 1


Most of us instinctively recoil from conflict. Whether it's a simmering tension with a coworker, a misunderstanding with a friend, or a deeper rift in a family relationship, conflict feels like a threat—something to avoid, endure, or conquer. But what if conflict isn't just a painful inconvenience? What if it’s actually an invitation?

The Bible offers a surprising perspective: conflict is not necessarily bad or destructive. It can be an opportunity—a meaningful moment in which God does His transformative work in us and through us. Rather than something to run from or power through, conflict can be a sacred space where God's glory is revealed, others are served, and we are shaped to look more like Jesus.

Here are three opportunities hidden within every conflict:

1. Conflict Is an Opportunity to Glorify God

(1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”)

At its heart, glorifying God means reflecting His character—His grace, truth, patience, holiness, and love—in whatever situation we face. Conflict reveals what’s in our hearts and how much we trust God in the hard moments.

When we handle conflict with humility, integrity, and faith, we show the watching world something different from what they're used to. In a culture that often promotes self-protection, revenge, or silent withdrawal, responding to conflict with godliness makes God visible.

Even when we’re wronged, we have the choice to respond in a way that says, “God is enough. I don’t need to control this outcome or win this argument because I trust Him.” That posture brings Him glory and reshapes how others see both you and Him.

Glorifying God doesn’t mean pretending everything’s fine or sweeping issues under the rug. It means choosing to walk through hard conversations in a way that honors truth and love. Conflict handled biblically is a bright testimony to the gospel’s power to bring peace where there was division.

2. Conflict Is an Opportunity to Serve Others

(Philippians 2:3–4 – “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”)

Our natural instinct in conflict is self-defense: “How do I protect myself?” “How do I make them see my side?” “How do I come out on top?” But Jesus modeled something different. He stooped to serve, even when misunderstood, mistreated, and misrepresented.

When we enter conflict with a posture of service rather than self-promotion, something powerful happens. We begin to ask: What’s going on in this person’s heart? What pain or fear might be behind their actions? How can I bring grace into this moment—even if I disagree?

Serving others in conflict doesn’t mean giving up truth. It means holding truth in a way that is patient, kind, and generous. It means listening more than speaking, seeking to understand before trying to be understood, and being willing to bear with others in love.

Sometimes, serving others in conflict involves lovingly confronting sin. Other times, it involves absorbing an offense. Always, it involves putting their spiritual good ahead of your desire to win or be proven right.

This kind of sacrificial love is rare—and deeply redemptive. It echoes the love of Christ, who laid down His rights for the sake of others.

3. Conflict Is an Opportunity to Grow to Be Like Christ

(Romans 8:28–29 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him... to be conformed to the image of his Son.”)

God is always at work to make us more like Jesus. And few tools are more effective than conflict. Why? Because conflict brings our weaknesses to the surface. It shows us where we are impatient, proud, fearful, or bitter—and invites us to bring those things to the Cross.

Every hard conversation is a classroom of the Holy Spirit. In conflict, we learn to surrender our will, die to self, ask for forgiveness, and extend it to others. We learn perseverance, gentleness, courage, and self-control. These aren’t just skills—they are fruit of the Spirit, signs of the inner transformation God is cultivating in us.

Even when conflict is painful, unresolved, or leads to separation, God is still at work. He uses the heat of disagreement to purify our hearts and produce maturity. When we see conflict this way—not just as a problem to solve but a process to submit to—we begin to grow.

And growth often begins with honest questions: What is God showing me about myself through this conflict? Where am I being invited to repent, forgive, or trust Him more deeply? How might this make me more like Christ?

Final Thoughts

Reframing conflict as an opportunity doesn’t mean we seek it out or relish the discomfort. It means we recognize that God is present even in the tension—perhaps especially there. Every conflict is a fork in the road: we can respond in the flesh, or we can walk by the Spirit. We can guard our pride, or we can glorify God. We can defend ourselves, or we can serve others. We can stay stuck, or we can grow.

It takes courage to enter conflict with this mindset. It takes faith to believe that even the hard things can be holy ground. But when we do, we find that conflict isn’t just something to survive—it’s a place where God’s transforming grace meets us, and where His purposes unfold.

So next time conflict knocks on your door, pause before reacting. Ask God, “What opportunity are You giving me here?” Then walk forward with hope, humility, and the confidence that nothing—not even conflict—is wasted in His hands.

 

 

Inspired by Ken Sande’s The Peacemaker—a timeless guide to living out the gospel of peace in everyday life.

 

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