Avoiding Court – God’s Idea of Reconciliation

If you’ve ever been involved in any type of legal action where conflict is concerned, you know that this manner of resolving the dispute often heightens animosities and the end result usually means a destroyed relationship. In contrast, God’s Word teaches us to forgive. At The Olive Branch we promote traditional values while preserving relationships, encouraging beneficial change, avoiding negative publicity, and providing a positive witness. Our process is also less constrained by rigid procedures thereby often providing faster results. All of this at a relatively expensive cost.

So does avoiding court mean simply allowing yourself to be a doormat? Not at all. But a court process usually fails to deal with the real causes of conflict such as pride, selfishness, fear, vengeance, greed, bitterness and unforgiveness. The legal process often remains focused on what one person did right and what the other person did wrong, leaving the parties a distorted view of reality.

Matthew 7:3-5 tells us, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

The Olive Branch seeks to help people identify root problems – the plank – and to make changes so that everyone can experience less conflict and healthier relationships.

There are indeed legitimate times where litigation is appropriate, including for the Christian. But if a dispute includes a personal difference between two Christians, we encourage that they try to resolve the problem in a personal way before looking to the courts to redress.