Dispute help
June 13th, 2007
This morning I was talking to someone who had a dispute going on at a club they are invloved with. One person was not happy with how someone was leading a particular area. The person I spoke to was outside the issue, but one of the people had complained to them.
I was able to share briefly on the Biblical way of handling disputes. By this I mean going to speak with someone one on one to see if you can sort it out. Then if that does not work, share it it with a third person (who is known to both of you) and ask them to go and speak with the person with you. I think that advice seemed to hit the spot and gave them something to think about.
Personally I do not like to get invloved with other peoples disputes unless they have tried to sort it out first. My only involvement initially would be to ask several questions of the person who has the complaint.
- Have you spoken to the person - are they aware that you have an issue with them or the way they are doing things?
- Are you sure it is not a personality issue - does something about the person rub you up the wrong way?
- Is it an ambition issue - are you sure you don’t want the job they are doing?
- Are you missing something - have you got all the facts of the situation?
- Are you offended - have they said something that you misunderstood or hurt you?
If they are a Christian I would encourage them to prayerfully consider those questions. Then if they still see an issue, I encourage them to go and speak to the person one on one. Then if it is not sorted, take it to the next level and involve someone else.