The Way of the Way at Workનમૂનો

Conflict is ever-present at work. In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus calls us to prioritize introspection of our own shortcomings before we think about inspection of someone else’s.

Why? Because as pastor Tony Merida explains, “Our assessment of the other person [in a conflict] is wrong…because something is blurring or blocking our vision. And it’s not a speck—it’s a 2 x 4!”

So how do we clear our vision in conflict—especially since Jesus implies that we’re blind to our own faults? Here are 3 things I’d encourage you to do to spot the plank in your eye.

#1: Ask God to reverse your assumptions about who’s to blame.

Whenever I’m in conflict, my default assumption is that the other person is mostly to blame. I think, sure I may have a speck, but they’ve got a plank. But Jesus calls us to flip that assumption. Think about a conflict you’re in right now and pray, “Lord, give me eyes to see the plank in my eye and how I might be the primary contributor to this problem.”

#2: Ask a fellow believer to help you spot your plank.

Our friends are much better at seeing our faults than we are. So go to a fellow Christian—your spouse, a coworker, your pastor—and explain the situation as objectively as you can. Ask them to help you spot what you can’t.

#3: Ask AI to see what you and your friends can not.

Yesterday, I warned against going to Artificial Intelligence before Almighty Intelligence. But AI can be incredibly helpful for spotting planks in your eye in a conflict.

I recently experienced this in a tense conflict with a friend. After praying and seeking counsel, I still couldn’t fully see how I was contributing to the tension. So I fed the email thread that sparked the conflict into ChatGPT and asked it to help me remove the plank. The insights were humbling—but accurate—and paved the way to peace.

If you need help spotting a plank today, try this prompt in the AI chatbot of your choice:

I am sensing some conflict with someone. Here’s the situation: [Insert description, relevant messages, etc.] In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus calls me to assume that I am primarily responsible for this conflict. But I am having a hard time seeing the “plank” in my eye. Can you help?

Don’t outsource discernment to AI. But don’t ignore its usefulness either. Start with God, lean on His people, and—if needed—use this tool to help you live out Jesus’s call to be a peacemaker at work!