Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – February 12, 2019
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
There have been times in my life, as I imagine there have been in yours, when I have experienced relational discord or conflict. There were times when someone mistreated me. There have been other times when I was the one at fault. And, finally, there were still other occasions when both I and another person hurt one another.
Regardless of what happened, God always wants to bring healing to hurting relationships. Certainly, you can’t control how another person responds during a relational crisis, but you can do your part to move toward relational healing by following biblical principles.
Here are 2 things you can do to help heal your hurting relationships:
Surrender the right to be offended. Oh, boy. This can be a tough one, right? When our ego gets bruised, or when the other person is offended because of something we did or that they perceive we did, it’s easy to respond with offense. But this isn’t God’s plan because offense breeds offense.
To live in obedience to Christ means you lay down the right to be offended. This doesn’t mean you don’t acknowledge you have been mistreated. It just means you keep your heart free from bitterness and you embrace humility.
This attitude will help you think clearly about what is really happening in the relationship; you’ll experience greater peace, and your actions and words will reveal the condition of your heart. Both go a long way toward making peace with the other person.
“There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Proverbs 12:18).
Humbly assess the condition of your own heart. When offense becomes a part of any relationship, finger pointing and blaming can begin to define us. Don’t become this person. It’s unwise. A better response is to ask the Lord if there is anything in your own heart or actions that needs to change. Then make a sincere effort to repent and do what He says.
Just as offense breeds offense, humility and tenderness can breed humility and tenderness. Again, there’s no guarantee that the other person will respond in a godly way when you do. (And there are times when someone is physically or emotionally unsafe. These are extreme situations.) But, one thing is certain: biting and fighting will never heal a relationship. Let relational healing begin with you by humbly assessing the condition of your own heart.
Are you experiencing relational discord? Choose God’s way of relating and see what He will do.
“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:17-18).
Prayer
Lord, thank you that you have a plan for relational discord and you want to bring healing into my relationships. Let me be a relational change maker by stewarding my own actions and heart in a godly way. Amen.
Application
Take a look back at the relational strife and conflict you have had in your life. Could there have been anything you could have done to live in greater peace with the other person? If so, talk with the Lord about it, receive His forgiveness, then put the above principles into practice in the future.
Related Reading
Matthew 18:15-17; Matthew 5:9; Philippians 2:4
Post/Tweet today
Fighting will never heal a relationship, so let relational healing begin by humbly assessing the condition of your own heart. #WisdomHunters #healing
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Dear “BBB”,
Thank you so much for taking the time to reach out to us with your sincere and very thought-provoking comments. I read over your email a few different times and each time found some powerful insight. I will forward on these comments directly to Shana and I know she will also appreciate the passion from which you speak. Again, I thank you so much.
If I could just offer one thought about what may be mistakenly defined as “denial” when Shana speaks of a surrender (Surrendering the right to be offended). She goes on to say “This does’t mean you don’t acknowledge you’ve been mistreated”. For so long, many in the church have misuse the words of submission in the marriage and women have been indeed, hurt. But we know as lovers of Christ that He only means submission with love. I recently read an wonderful quote on biblical submission that I think really summed it up “Biblical submission is a voluntary choice. Submission is the willing and loving acceptance of a husband’s authority and leadership. Yet, it is not the passive acceptance of physical, mental or verbal abuse. Such behavior is oppressive, dangerous and contemptible to God.”(Christian Standard Bible, The Study Bible for Women Colossians, pg.1514).
With all of that being said, I know the passion and concern behind your feelings and comments. Again, I think you for shedding a light on this important topic. We (the staff of Wisdom Hunter’s) never take this topic lightly and we are always willing to (and appreciate) what our family of Wisdom Hunter’s readers has to say about all of these issues. Thank you again. My heart tells me you are working hard in this much needed area and I rejoice in the fact you are a believer and read the Word.
May God bless you as you serve Him by serving others,
Gwynne
“You are the sal of the earth.” Matt.5:13
“You are the light of the world.” Matt. 5:14
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matt. 5:16