Lean on the LordSample

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you,” Colossians 3:13.

Relationships are not always harmonious, are they? We can all agree with that thought! Fortunately, we are not all the same; it would be very boring, but at the same time, we know our relationships with other people can be a challenge. We are all different in character, and when you live or work together—whether with your spouse, family, or a colleague with whom you work daily—there can be moments when the relationships become rather bumpy. Whether Christian or not, this happens everywhere.

When you realize someone is offended because of what you did or said, or if you realize someone has hurt you, today’s scripture straight-out says to forgive one another. It does not give us any loopholes; you need to address them when it happens.

Maybe you have no idea what you have done wrong, yet the other person is hurt, offended, or grieved. You might respond like this: ‘Hey, come on, if they took what I said the wrong way, that’s not how I meant it, so it is his/her problem!’ You could be right; you certainly did not want to offend anyone on purpose, but the person did take it as an offense, and although they kept silent, you noticed that the relationship was disturbed.

The best thing you can do is take the initiative, not to confront the person but to talk in love and listen to their point of view to restore the relationship. Ask for forgiveness; offer forgiveness.

Christ died for all sin for all time, for your sin and their sin. Since He has forgiven us, we have no right to withhold forgiveness from someone who has hurt us; we must seek to reconcile those relationships.

That is the example Jesus gave us in Matthew 5:22-24. That’s how we can keep peace with the people in our lives, by humbling ourselves and taking the first steps toward removing barriers between us with love and forgiveness.