Salty Lemonade: A Refreshing Twist on the Recipe for Overcoming AdversitySample

How can we say we love God who we can’t see…when we don’t demonstrate love to people we can see? That eternal question pricks our hearts every single time we hear it. This is one of the greatest challenges when the sour taste in our mouth has been caused by another person. Dealing with betrayal, a lie told about us, or any other type of hurt caused by another human being is an area where we often miss the mark. Of course, we want to show God how much we love Him, but loving human beings who hurt us can present a problem at times. They say that hurting people hurt people. I know for a fact that this is truth to the tenth power. How do we display love, yet express our hurt and disappointment? Take it to the specialist.

Before we deal with anyone else about their junk, we have to do business with God about ours. It stings when we have to face our own shortcomings especially when we are eager to find a place to throw the blame. Every time we try to solve an interpersonal problem by pointing fingers we have to be mindful of the three fingers pointing back to us. We are the common denominator in all of our relationships. You may feel like the issue you’re facing had nothing to do with you and everything to do with them. That might be true, but your response is 100% up to you. You can choose to respond after you have done business with God or you can fly off the handle. You can choose to pray for your enemies in spite of the way they treat you or risk cursing yourself by cursing them. The choice is up to you.

Your challenge for Day Four is to clean up some unfinished business with someone who has hurt you. It could be a recent hurt or something you’ve been holding onto for years. Pray and ask God to show you what responsibility you bear in the matter. Repent and then begin to ask him for a game plan on how to make amends. You may need to apologize. You might have to repay a debt. At the end of the day, your goal is to begin the process of mending a broken relationship. You don’t have to clean up the entire mess in one day, just get started and God will honor your steps of faith.