Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.”
There are stumbling blocks in any relationship but a love that is devoted and honours, forgives the offenses, journeys the storms, and looks for the good in a person, and still has relationship in spite of, that is amazing and wonderful and is of God, who is the ministry of reconciliation. We can’t do this without Christs’ love and example, that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
My own life story seems to be one where people set traps and lie in wait for me to fall and when I do, they pounce, rejoice in their heart that they have found something wrong with me, and then tell others about it without talking to me. Or I have hurt them, offended them and they have not said anything to me, they then hold onto to the offenses, time after time and then eventually blow as they haven’t really forgiven me in their heart all along the way or told me about it so I can change and then they leave.
This has been a struggle for me to overlook the hurts where people hold onto offenses over me as they walk away from me, from the church in which they believe God had called them to if they have been in the church and go on their way. I have and continue only to be able to do this because as I come to the Father in my tears and hurt and He shows me where I have hurt others or perhaps am doing a similar thing to others somewhere else. He shows me my own failures and His love for me and forgiveness of me despite these, and this helps me to forgive others and to bless them in their own journey in my heart.
Imagine if we as a people loved, forgave and still journeyed with one another being Christ’s example where we all felt safe to actually be who we are in our failures, accepted in our differences or personalities and callings, in honour and need of one another. I am not you and you are not me, but I need what you have, and you need what I have, and we are one.
John 17:22 “I have given them the glory that you gave me
that they may be one as we are one.
I in them and you in me,
so that they may be brought to complete unity.”
Without faith it is impossible to please God Heb 11:6 and it takes faith to believe God can change a situation, a person, a behavior whatever it may be. We have had many a person come to our ministry wanting to learn to walk by faith often only seeing one side of what a faith journey looks like to them, but faith is in every aspect of our lives and the biggest faith call I believe is to forgive and still journey with people.
