Television
can make dysfunction funny. Take the successful TV series The Office
which aired from 2005-2013. The setting was a paper
distribution company called Dunder Mifflin. With a variety of quirky characters that you might find
in any office anywhere, dysfunction seemed to be the guiding principle of the
show.
Consider
King David. Although a man after God’s own heart, he had no clue when it came
to the dysfunction of his family. Amnon, one of David’s sons, raped his
step-sister, Tamar. When David didn’t do anything about it, her biological
brother, Absalom, killed Amnon. In this case, it sounds like dysfunction gone
wild.
The
church at Corinth seems to have been the definition of a dysfunctional church.
They struggled with everything from divisions over leadership to immorality and
incest to favoritism based on status. It’s hard to imagine that they had any
redeeming qualities. Yet, Paul had enough hope in them that he didn’t give up.
In
the verses today, Paul wrote about lawsuits amongst believers in the church. Here
is yet another example of the Corinthian believers not being able to work and
play well together; an example of their dysfunction. Paul makes these
observations.
You
may not have ever taken another believer to court, but conflict starts small
and builds to a crescendo. It begins with a something little between an
employer and employee, or two business owners, or neighbors or between husband
and wife.
Conflict
is a part of the human predicament. It happens every day of our lives. The
question is how will you deal with it? Paul suggests working things out, finding
a mediator or just accepting the injustice.
Whatever
you do, don’t let it become, dysfunction go wild.
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