The Heart of Conflict part 1

It seems that conflict always comes packaged as people. I never have a conflict with my car. Therefore only people can resolve conflict. Ask anyone who is having conflict with someone and they will probably say the problem is the need for better communication or understanding their respective God-given roles. Anyway that is what the majority of books in the Christian bookstore say. It seems no one understands or wants to tackle the real issue of conflict: the motivations of the human heart. Normally outside influences are blamed or past family issues. Some confidently teach that by not having our basic needs met, conflict will result. That really sounds plausible on the surface. Fortunately we have a better instruction manual than Freud or Maslow on this. Modern day labels ascribed by those who have not built their research on a biblical foundation are symptomatic of the problem with modern day Christian counseling. Most of them have simply tried to sanitize secular psychology with a few verses from the Bible. James 4 reveals the heart of conflict. Actually it begins near the end of chapter three. The chapter division is just in the wrong place which gives us the idea that something new is being discussed in chapter four. The simple reason given for conflict is that one person wants or don't wants something and someone else is in the way. The desire is not necessarily wrong. It simply becomes wrong when I want it so much I am willing to fight the other person in order to get it. It does not get any simpler or more practical than that. I want something and you are in my way. Therefore I am willing to fight you for it because I think I must have whatever it is or my life will not be complete. Contrary to the pop psychology theory that people are empty cups needing to be filled, James actually shows us our cups are full and running over - with ourselves. So, to begin with, the heart of conflict really does begin in the human heart.