So, here we are.
A new year.
Bright with promise, hope and anticipation of what God will do in each of our lives.
And perhaps...harboring an old wound, living with an unmended relationship or refusing to yield our own will to that of a loving God desiring to see healing and health.
My husband fixes things.
Recently he brought home a friend's cabinet that needed to be reduced in size. I could not see how that cabinet could ever be reduced in size and still yield the same beauty it possessed in it's original state. I wanted it just as it was, but the truth was that it could no longer function as it was. He sawed and removed, sanded, replaced...he worked hard. Running his hands over the smoothed out smaller version he sat back in satisfaction, knowing that it was now functional AND beautiful. It had changed, but for the better.
Sometimes relationships are like this. When we build a relationship, we build a union. Because these unions are made of imperfect people, it stands to reason that relationships sometimes go awry. Maybe it was a comment, an arguement or just a general falling away from each other that caused unhealth in a relationship. In our human state, we cannot always see how the relationship could be mended or repaired. We don't see it ever being functional again. But our Heavenly Father sees the beauty of investing ourselves in His plan and after careful prayer and consideration, if he is calling you to repair a relationship, act. Of this we can be sure, His tools are always ready.
Often, we allow ourselves to be stopped.
Frozen.
Pride,fear, anger...all of these cease our forward moving steps. Like our power tools unplugged, these joy-robbing deterrants stop the healing process. Billy Graham notes in his newest book, Nearing Home that this "stuck-in-the-mud" place can lead to regret, an even deeper wound.
As God's refining power rebuilds our hearts, allow the master of forgiveness to show you gently and with great love how to forgive others. Ask Him in prayer how to saw away bitterness and replace it with healing. Ask Him for discernment in your toolbelt, as to be sure of the right timing to extend grace and forgiveness. When we fix what is broken, we may not get the exact relationship that was once there, but soft hearts poised to healing will yield uncompromising joy.
Like prayer that is not answered the way we had hoped, not all relationships will be able to be reconciled. And some relationships are not meant to be repaired. The Lord will be our guide. However, if called to do so, approaching the other party with pure intentions and with love, we should always strive to live in peace.
"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:18
1 comment:
"It had changed, but for the better."
What is true of furniture can and should be true of our relationships as well - change can be an improvement. Good message.
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