Conflict Management

How do you respond to challenges?
-- disagreements with others
-- people who don't live up to your expectations -- other people's weaknesses
-- being offended by friends or enemies, being accused or blamed
-- rules you don't like, but are obliged to follow, or else...
-- personal failures and weaknesses
-- things go wrong, don't work out as desired
-- having too much demanded of you

Typical responses to these challenges include the following:

1.Anger-Pride (lacking faith, hope and charity): criticizing, finding fault, creating contention, providing retribution or trying to get even, hurting them, manipulating them, blaming them, gossiping, talking behind their back; seeking to hide your sins, gratify your pride, or exercise control or dominion unrighteously.

2.Fear-Discouragement (lacking faith, hope and charity): Blaming self, giving up, getting discouraged, feeling guilty, ignoring the problem, pretending it isn't happening, feeling worthless, feeling a need to run away or move, letting them get away with things they shouldn't, joining them in evil.

3.Honorable Communication: Talk things over, try to understand the situation, the other person, and yourself, leaving ego behind. "build trust, identify points of agreement, resolve concerns."

4.Faithfulness (involves faith, hope and charity, a willingness to repent, to do anything and everything that the Lord commands, eliminating pride, fear, and lower concerns):
Ask: pray in faith for the guidance of the Holy Ghost.
Seek: study and work for knowledge of principles to obey.
Knock: act on the principles; obey the commandments, bless other people. Faithfulness sometimes looks the same as the other approaches, but is different because it is done in obedience to the Holy Ghost and in love, where the others are not.
Make the Glory of God your priority

Example Principles:
A.(Matt. 5:21-26)...first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift... Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him;...
B.(D & C 42: 78-93) Take him or her between him or her and thee alone...
C.(D & C 64: 8-14) Of you it is required to forgive all men, ...and him that repenteth not...ye shall bring before the church...that God may be glorified, not because ye forgive not...but that ye may not offend him who is your lawgiver.
D.(D&C 88:81) it becometh every man that hath been warned to warn his neighbor.
E.(Galatians 6:1) Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
E.(D&C 121: 41-46) ...Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love towards him whom thou hast reproved...