Article March 3, 1997 Issue

Some lessons in healing conflict

Barbara L. Kelly

Have you ever wanted something so much that it seemed to be the only thing you could think about? That has happened to me a couple of times, and I learned a different lesson each time.

The first lesson came when I had just graduated from college and was looking for a job. I was interviewed for a position that I particularly wanted, but it was given to a classmate instead. I was very disappointed because I had had my heart set on it. A short time later, however, I heard that my classmate had quit because she had found that the job required taking part in unethical practices. Eventually I learned a valuable lesson about trusting in God's will rather than clinging to my own wants and wishes.

In this experience I came to see that there could be no real conflict between God's will and my own, because God's will is always right and good, and my true desire is to do what is right and good. Sometimes it may take a good deal of trust, prayer, and listening to know just what God's will for us is, but since we are actually God's children, His spiritual creation, we already have "a goodly heritage," as the Bible says (Ps. 16:6). It is a reliable heritage of love, safety, and perfection. As we claim our sonship with God and the intelligence that goes with it, we know what steps we should take.

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