The mess stared at me from the kitchen floor, cereal soaking in spilled milk, and not a kid in sight. Frustration filled me as I glanced at the clock. This inconvenient mess would make us late.
Scared faces peered around the corner and impatiently, I advised them to quickly clean up their mess.
Expecting them to obey, I turned away. Ten minutes later, the mess remained. I warned them a second time. Last warning. “Clean it up now while it’s still fresh and wet.”
We left the house without checking their progress.
Later that afternoon, we returned home to the same mess. It didn’t disappear. It didn’t clean itself up. Someone needed to step forward and grab a paper towel. But now, the task was more difficult and required more tools and more work. The milk and cereal bits had dried, creating a bond to the wood floor almost impossible to remove.
We needed a razor blade.
With determination and much scraping, they eventually cleaned the mess. But now they knew immediate action created an easier cleanup.
Repairing your relationships
Relationships can be as messy as spilled cereal. A disagreement. Harsh words. Hurt feelings. Feeling forgotten. Betrayal. Broken trust.
Between miscommunication and heightened emotion, fractured relationships can be completely severed.
Suddenly, division trumps unity. Lies fill your mind. She was never really your friend anyway. She isn’t worth your time. It’s too hard. He doesn’t deserve me. No one understands.
If we don’t address discord immediately and resolve misunderstandings, our hearts start hardening.
It’s a defense mechanism against future emotional pain.
But being vulnerable is part of life. It’s the way we connect with others by giving them glimpses into our real life. We were made for connections. So don’t let a fractured relationship be forever broken.
Make the first move. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Listen to their side. Find the forgiveness to reconcile. It’s hard, yeah, but it’s worth it.
The longer reconciliation is left undone, the more difficult the relationship is to restore.
I’ve been there. A misspoken word can ruin a friendship. If we wait too long, the relationship will never be the same again.
Maybe you’re in a struggling relationship. Have you spoken out of turn? Jumped to conclusions? Assumed the worst before believing the best? I know I have.
Is there a relationship you want to heal? Maybe forgiveness is the first step. Don’t let pride keep you from reconciliation.
Satan seeks to destroy our relationships. He diverts our focus off Christ and creates strife among us.
Don’t give the enemy a foothold into your relationships. Seek reconciliation before it’s too late.
5 Practical Steps to Reconciliation
Seek guidance and wisdom from the Lord as you look to reconcile. Use these verses as a guideline on how to reconcile with another believer:
- Love one another. Love is not a feeling, it’s a choice. The Lord loves us all and hates division among His children. So we should love one another as He loves us. John 15:12
- Release grudges and be merciful.
- Resolve the problem. Broken relationships can hinder our relationship with God. And our attitude toward others reflects our relationship with God. Seek reconciliation with others so we can be reconciled with Him.
- Be humble and patient. Reconciliation doesn’t always happen immediately. Humble yourself and be patient and love them through this. Ephesians 4:2-3
- Move forward. Resist reminding someone of their mistakes. The truth is, we are all sinners. Seek repentance and forgiveness. As a result, we experience the freedom to move forward in our relationships. Our sins have been forgiven, removed as far as the east from the west. What a great gift! Psalm 103:8-12
If someone hurt you in a messy relationship, don’t wait too long for reconciliation. The longer you wait, the more difficult it is to clean up. Reconciliation brings restoration.
Note: Some relationships are unhealthy for yourself and your relationship with God. Please seek the Lord first as you mend broken ties.