October 1, 2016 Seeking Peace In Relationships
Saturday October 1, 2016
How many times have we written people off because of some dispute we had in the distant past? Years pass and people change, yet we cling to our old way of seeing them. Perhaps we never saw them very clearly in the first place! Making amends for most of us, will include reviewing our relationships. We may need to assess our judgment of others as we truthfully admit our contribution to the relationship.
Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18 NLT) In the Bible we read the story of Paul and Barnabas who traveled together on a missionary journey. They took Barnabas' relative John Mark along as their assistant. When things got tough, the young man deserted them and went home. Later, Barnabas wanted to give John Mark another chance, but Paul refused. Their disagreement was so sharp that they parted company and went their own ways. Much later in his life, Paul was put in prison. During that time, he wrote to Timothy and asked for John Mark. He said, "Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry." (2 Timothy 4:11 NLT).
The Bible doesn’t tell us how Paul came to change his opinion of John Mark. Perhaps he realized that he hadn’t been completely fair. Maybe John Mark had changed over the years. At some point, though, they had re-established their relationship and repaired the emotional damage done.
Making amends includes going back and settling emotional accounts. When we’ve judged someone harshly, we need to re-examine our relationship with that person. If we expect others to change in how they see us, we will need to do the same.
So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. (Romans 14:13 NLT)
In order to complete Step Nine and bring peace in our relationships, we need to review our list from Step Eight and decide on the appropriate way to make each amend. Most situations will require direct contact, although some may be handled by simply changing our behaviour. By making amends, we become open to God’s life-changing power to fill our hearts with peace.
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