Una poderosa lección de Jesús sobre cómo manejar los conflictos

¿Cómo manejas los conflictos?

Algunas lecciones que aprendes de la manera difícil en la vida y el liderazgo.

Tome como ejemplo un principio reciente que publiqué sobre los atributos de un líder maduro. Compartí que un líder maduro ha aprendido a nunca responder inmediatamente con ira. Poco después de que se publicara la publicación, me entrevistaron al respecto para un podcast de liderazgo. Me preguntaron cómo aprendí eso.

¿Cómo manejas los conflictos?

Bueno, la mayoría de las veces aprendes esas cosas por respondiendo con ira y arrepintiéndose después. Y esto me ha pasado varias veces. Una vez solté enojado a un buen empleado, por ejemplo. Desde entonces me he arrepentido.

Hace muchos años, sin embargo, fui condenado por las Escrituras. (¿No es esto lo que se supone que deben hacer las Escrituras?)

Leí un pasaje que había leído muchas veces, pero vi algo esta vez en particular que no había notado previamente. Terminó respondiendo directamente a la pregunta, “¿Cómo maneja el conflicto?”

Vea si lo capta en este John ‭2:13-16 passage:
‬
“The Jewish Passover was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple complex He found people selling oxen, sheep and doves, and He also found the money changers sitting there. After making a whip out of cords, He drove everyone out of the temple complex with their sheep and oxen. He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables. He told those who were selling doves, ‘Get these things out of here! Stop turning My Father’s house into a marketplace!’”

Did you catch it? Did you see the powerful leadership principle about responding in anger?

Yes? If so then you were convicted too most likely.

It’s huge. It will change the way you deal with people in tense or confrontational environments.

If you didn’t catch it, read it one more time. This time the emphasis is mine. 

“The Jewish Passover was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple complex He found people selling oxen, sheep and doves, and He also found the money changers sitting there. After making a whip out of cords, He drove everyone out of the temple complex with their sheep and oxen. He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables. He told those who were selling doves, ‘Get these things out of here! Stop turning My Father’s house into a marketplace!’” 

Make sense now? He made a whip. Before Jesus cleared out the temple—He made a whip. Handcrafted whip.

Have you ever made a whip out of cords—a whip strong enough to drive out people bent on making money through unrighteous means?

I have to be honest. I never have made a whip in my life. I don’t know how long it took to make whips in Jesus days, but it certainly wasn’t instantaneous.

There was time for reflection. Time to think. Time to process. Time to make a plan. Time to pray.

Suddenly the scene I had in my head of Jesus seeing the activity in the temple and going wild with anger was not the same.

I can picture Jesus sitting on the steps of the temple, talking to His Father. (The Scripture says He did nothing except what the Father told Him.)

Maybe the dialogue went something like this:

God, how do you want me to respond to this?

They are in the temple, money-changing. I know how You feel about that. It’s Your house. It’s supposed to be a House of Prayer.

What should I do? How serious should I take this?

(Twisting the leather a little tighter.)

You know, God, they are going to be writing about this for a very long time. This scene may even appear in the movies someday. 

Help me know how to respond. 

It wasn’t a rash decision. It wasn’t unrehearsed. He didn’t respond purely out of emotion.

To me it has the appearance of being a very calculated, methodical, strategic move.

Over the years of leadership, since I realized how Jesus actually cleared the temple and facing lots of critics and conflicts of my own, I’ve made a lot of figurative whips. Perhaps someday I’ll even make a real one—and hang it on my wall. I’ve taken time before responding to think, process, develop a plan. And, all this in the spirit of prayer.

In the process—of being more calculated, methodical and strategic—it’s made me a better leader. It’s helped me respond better.

And, here’s the other thing I discovered. Often, once I’ve made the figurative whip—I didn’t need to actually use it. In fact, and here’s the real life lesson, sometimes the process led me to understand I was the one who was wrong. Ouch!

So how do you handle conflict? When you’re facing conflict in life and leadership—when you’re angry—take time to make a whip. It changes everything.

‬