Repair a Relationship

The Lord laid something on my heart on Friday. I was so busy with everything that I needed to get done, but I still got the message. I figure it must be really important (everything He tells us is important but sometimes I don't listen). I have not stopped thinking about the matter since Friday night. I actually haven't even told anyone what God laid on my heart. It's not that I am keeping a secret, I just didn't know fully what God was calling me to do. I did not want to speak it out loud and later realize that, that was not the message God was sending to me. I have continued to pray about the best way to do what the Lord wants me to do. I also feel led to share this what I am being called to do, because it applies to all of us one way or another.

When walking past some people that I know I noticed that one person still wont look at me. At first I was quick to anger, but then I realized that I have no reason to be angry. I don't even remember what the original transgression was between the two of us. All I felt was guilt and sorrow for feeling so angry for so long. While I prayed for forgiveness from the Lord He laid upon me the need to go to that person as their sister in Christ and ask them for forgiveness. It takes only two people to keep a problem going and prevent forgiveness and healing. God has led me to let it go and stop being part of the problem because I am being called to follow Him and I cannot do that completely if I still hang onto my transgressions.

At some point or another we have upset someone, and someone has upset us. Let's face it, we're all sinners and there is nothing we can do to change it. However, as Christians we have a rule book to guide us, and we have an eternal teacher, that will always forgive us. We have been commanded to:

"Bear with one another and, if one has a complain against another, forgive each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive" Colossians 3:13

We are all far from perfect, but we cannot simply live like we are part of the secular world. We live in the secular world but we are not of the secular world. The world teaches little girls to grow hate toward each other at a young age, and tells boys that all they have to do is beat each other up and things will be fine. Things are not fine because we have been called to forgive each other not fight each other or make each other miserable. As Christians we are told to confront our bothers and sisters and solve the problem together and with the Lord.

I am challenging you as well as myself to pray about a person in your life that you haven't forgiven or attempted to let go of the problem between you. It might take more than one week for the healing to occur but start just by reaching out to that person and ask them for forgiveness, but be specific while you ask because this has to be real from your heart. Most importantly before you ask for forgiveness from that person, pray that God gives you the words to say that are not full of anger and hate. Be ready for any sort of reaction and remember to be slow to anger (or not anger at all).  I am in prayer for all of you, as I hope you are in prayer for me. It is going to take courage and the strength of God to get through this weeks challenge, but we can do it.