Steve Greene
Over the past few weeks, we have affirmed a simple fact that most of us were already aware of, and that is that repairing broken, damaged or disrupted relationships is not an easy task.
It is something we want to do. We know it is something we ought to do. But it can be so difficult. And sometimes, if we are honest, we would have to say we just don’t know what to do or how to do it.
The ability to heal or repair a broken relationship requires something that does not come naturally to any of us. It requires humility. We all came into the world humility averse, and that is because we are inclined toward selfishness.
In fact, our sinful nature is rooted in selfishness. We think of ourselves first, and it is difficult for us to humble ourselves and choose to put others ahead of ourselves. This is one of those topics we don’t even like to discuss.
We really don’t like to admit the ugliness that often exists in our hearts. We have been talking about the important matter of reconciliation in relationships. Reconciliation is not something most of us have been taught. It is not intuitive. Few of us have seen it modeled effectively, and that has limited our ability to do it consistently.
Sometimes, we say certain things are more caught than taught. If that is true, what did you catch growing up? Did you see healthy examples of reconciliation in your family or did your family struggle to find a way to get along? Perhaps they just gave up on the struggle and simply walked away. And if that is what happened, if they or if you walked away, where does that relationship stand now?
Let’s face it…It is not easy to stay on track relationally with everyone all of the time, is it? Sometimes, it would be easier to just walk away. But walking away is not what is right, and it certainly is not what is best. Some of us have grown up in environments where conflict, turmoil and division were the order of the day. It seemed normal because it was all you knew.
We had some neighbors in another city and state who didn’t consider it a holiday until the police showed up. Yelling, fighting and arguing with each was the order of the day. It was all they knew. Preserving, protecting or reassembling relationships will require work. But it is possible, and it will be worth the effort.
Steve Greene is the lead pastor at The Point in Seymour. You may email him at [email protected]. His weekly blog can be found at pastorgreene.wordpress.com. Send comments to [email protected].