This is the time of year that we are going to be around the people we love the most, as well as people we haven't seen for a while. Some gatherings are going take place that are going to bring people together that have "friction" in their relationship. For some, this is going to add a layer of stress to your holidays that you are not looking forward to.
The main reason I mention this is because this is also going to provide to you an opportunity as you end one year and start another. An opportunity to fix something that may have been "broken" for quite some time. An opportunity to take a Christlike path of forgiveness and mercy. Like I have said in past posts, this doesn't mean that you are telling the other person that hurtful things they may have done are just ok, but it could be the start of a much needed healing process. In some families there could be some very big hurt that is still an open wound over this Christmas. And seeing those people again is going to be like pealing the scab of that wound back again. Causing pain, discomfort or maybe even anger. But whatever you are feeling, please don't lose sight that those feelings are a choice....just like forgiving is. We never know what tomorrow may bring, but I have never met someone yet that when tragedy strikes, they were glad they never said sorry, or glad they never forgave that person or glad that it had been years since they were nice to each other.
Make this Christmas one that has more meaning than any other because it represented healing. Jesus came into this world to change it. What an amazing thing it would be to allow that change in one of your relationships to start to take place while we are celebrating Jesus himself.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things". This may be a piece of scripture that you have heard many times before, or it may be the first time you have ever read it. But either way, I'm asking that as you read it, you examine it with your heart and ask yourself this...."If I was as wrong as I could possibly be in a given situation, is this verse full of words that I would want someone to consider as they tried to forgive me?" If so, then consider letting these words sink deep into your heart and let God humble you and teach you how to love someone that has been hard for you to love in the past. Let this be the Christmas where the gift that is given is healing, restoration, peace and joy!
God, as we come together with friends and family this year we trust that You are going before us. So we ask now Lord that You help healing begin in the areas where it is needed. Please humble us and soften our hearts toward any situation or person that we have allowed hardness to settle in on. Teach us how to demonstrate love as Christ did. Choosing to forgive, choosing to make things right, choosing to put our own feelings aside and be used by You to make a situation or relationship better. Let us walk way from this Christmas feeling like we did our part to help healing and restoration happen, and not walk away feeling defeated and having even more regret. Let us be wise enough to see that that is what the enemy wants for us, not You! In Jesus name, Amen
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