I want to start off by thanking God for this incredible journey I am on! He is so good.
Lord, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power. Jeremiah 10:6
Reconciliation: the restoration of hard relationships
I have realized that the first place I needed to start when restoring a relationship was…
So we have to stop evaluating others from a human point of view…
2 Corinthians 5:16
I need to have a kingdom mindset when it comes to loving people that are hard to love or have hurt me in the past. For we are citizens of Heaven. I also had to check my heart… to have true reconciliation I must have a sincere heart seeking pure true love. I can’t go numb or harden a piece of my heart or just cut them out of your life (that is what I usually do). True reconciliation is being willing to be hurt again. It is also giving grace every step of the way.
It’s simple. Just LOVE. This is what I heard from that still small voice; The Holy Spirit. I’m not called to JUDGE I am called to love.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. Proverbs 3:13
I find myself in a tough relationship… I often think to myself why is this so hard. It makes no sense. During this hard time I have found a lot of comfort in reading Proverbs. If we call ourselves true believers, we have died to our old selves and have stepped into this new self that is glowing with Christ’s love. With this mindset, Christ’s love controls us. Therefore, we are called to forgive because we were first forgiven. *Always turn to the word of God first. For our God is the fountain of living water.
I listened to a podcast by Jentezen Franklin and it was full of insight. He said “ Forgiveness is not about keeping score it is about losing count.” This is true forgiveness and grace. He also said “we are not called to forgive and forget we are called to FORGIVE and REMEMER differently”.
Sometimes it takes the worst things done to you to bring out the best things in you.
– Jentezen Franklin
Hard relationships were once described to me as messy. These hard relationships get messier the closer you are to the person because their sin and their mess gets stuck all over you. Every time you turn around more of their mess gets stuck on you. Obviously this goes both ways. All you want to do is rinse off and remove yourself from this mess but most often you can’t. Your bound by something. In most cases there is no running away. This is when you dig in and start relying on God to do the hard work of reconciliation. As humans we are broken so to think we can fix everything is so flawed. We need God to intercede especially in tough relationships. Reconciliation is necessary in order to continue on the path God has set before you. I want all that God has set before me and in order to walk in that path I can’t have a hard broken heart. I don’t want to short change my destiny God has in store because of a tough relationship and unforgiveness. Reconciliations is allowing God to take ahold of both hearts and do the work. Jentezen Franklin also said this about our God “ I am the God of what you have lost, what you have, I am also the God of what you have left and what is yet to come”.
The thing about reconciliation is that you also have to be able to receive forgiveness. This is a very important part of reconciliation. You have to forgive yourself.
I am desperate for what God has in his storehouses for me. Therefore, I will love like I have never been HURT. I challenge you to do the same.
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:6
-V
We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and our sincere love.
2 Corinthians 6:6
