Unplugging Wells

If you've been frustrated by interpersonal conflict, you can relate to Isaac. Over and over again, he and his servants dug freshwater wells—no small task using hand tools—but time after time, their Philistine enemies stopped up the wells by filling them with dirt. Isaac named one of the wells Esek ("dispute"), and another Sitnah ("opposition").

Whenever you attempt to do something constructive, don't be surprised if someone tosses a shovelful of dirt your direction.

But this man of God wasn't easily discouraged. Isaac and his men kept digging, and eventually they dug a well no one quarreled about. This one they called Rehoboth ("room"), for Isaac said, "Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land" (Genesis 26:19-22).

Most of us prefer the fresh waters of peace over the stopped up wells of conflict. But some conflict is unavoidable. To escape all conflict, we'd have to shun the very people God calls us to love and serve. Even Jesus faced conflict. Some considered him a troublemaker because he dared to speak unpopular truth and do things the religious establishment considered unconventional. He ate with sinners who needed his love, and his enemies criticized him. He healed on the Sabbath, and they plotted to kill him. He never said or did anything wrong, but they nailed him to a cross—the Prince of Peace embroiled in hostility.

Since the gospel is a stumbling block to some and foolishness to others, those who dare to live and proclaim it encounter an inevitable clash between light and darkness. Only cowards avoid all conflict.

Yet, much conflict is unnecessary. It doesn't help the cause of Christ when his followers constantly provoke controversy and promote dissension. Like the poor atheist who defines himself by what he doesn't believe, many Christians are quick to tell you what they're against instead of what they're for. Preoccupied by skirmishes with our teammates on the sidelines, we fail to engage the real enemy on the battlefield. Are we winning arguments but losing people? Some issues aren't worth fighting about. Scripture warns us to avoid "foolish and stupid arguments" that only "produce quarrels" (2 Timothy 2:23).

Let's face it: some conflict is downright ugly. Jesus' disciples even quarreled during the Last Supper! Gathered around a table hosted by the Savior just hours before his crucifixion, they debated which of them was the greatest!

We wonder, "How could they be so petty, so prideful, so insensitive?" But it's just as ugly when our own bad attitudes separate families, friends, and fellow Christians who ought to gather around the Lord's Table in unity. The apostle Paul's warning rings true: "If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other" (Galatians 5:15).

We won't live in a conflict-free environment until we get to Heaven. But in the meantime we can follow Jesus' instructions about confronting sin and forgiving sinners (Matthew 18:15-35). We can stand firm on matters of biblical principle and stay flexible in matters of custom. We can engage in frank discussion instead of angry division. We can disagree without being disagreeable.

And we can learn from Isaac's example: Keep digging until the refreshing wells of fellowship flow freely again.