Video Transcript: Which Role Are You In?

🎥 Video 6A: Which Role Are You In?

Hi, I am Haley Steiner, a CLI presenter.

This course is taught by Professor Brian DeCook.

In conflict, one of the most important Peacefire questions is this:

“What role am I in?”

That may sound simple, but conflict often feels confusing.

Sometimes we are the person who has been offended or hurt.

Sometimes we are the person who caused offense.

Sometimes we are both.

And sometimes we are not the main person in the conflict at all, but we are called to serve as an ambassador of reconciliation or as an intercessor in prayer.

Each role has different responsibilities.

If I have been offended, my responsibility is not to pretend the hurt does not matter. I may need to bring my pain to God, seek wisdom, forgive, set a boundary, or speak truthfully.

But I must also guard my heart from bitterness, gossip, revenge, and the trap of offense.

If I have caused offense, my responsibility is not to defend myself first. Jesus teaches in Matthew 5 that if we remember that someone has something against us, we should go and seek reconciliation. That means I may need to listen, confess, apologize, make repair, and change my conduct.

If I am an ambassador of reconciliation, my responsibility is to serve God’s peace, not my own need to be important. Second Corinthians 5 says God has given His people the ministry of reconciliation. But an ambassador is not a gossip, a pressure agent, or a secret investigator.

If I am an intercessor, my responsibility is to pray faithfully. First Timothy 2 calls believers to offer prayers and intercessions. Prayer is not doing nothing. Prayer is active dependence on God.

But prayer should not become an excuse for avoiding a faithful direct step when God is calling us to take one.

Sometimes these roles overlap.

I may have hurt someone and also been hurt.

I may need to forgive and confess.

I may need to set a boundary and seek repair.

I may need to pray and speak.

This is why humility matters.

Jesus warns us in Matthew 7 to notice the beam in our own eye before trying to remove the speck from another person’s eye. That does not mean we ignore another person’s sin. It means we begin with honest surrender before God.

Before moving on, think of one conflict. Ask: Am I offended, have I caused offense, am I being asked to help, or am I being called to pray?

Then ask one more question:

“What responsibility belongs to this role before God?”