InsecureUzorak

Insecurity Harms Others

Cain finds himself bearing the burden of his actions. Despite his attempt to hide his sin, God reveals to Cain that he knows about the murder of his brother. Cain was a gardener, while Abel raised livestock. As part of the consequence of his sin, the very thing he loved, farming the land, would no longer be fruitful for him anymore. 

Despite his sin, we see in this passage that God shows mercy to Cain and spares his life. He promises him protection and that he would not take his life as punishment for taking the life of his brother. When our insecurity causes us to sin against others, we must bear the consequence of how our actions have harmed others. God was merciful to Cain, but he didn't erase what he had done. Cain had to live with the consequence of his sin against Abel for the rest of his life. 

In the same way, when our insecurity causes us to harm someone else, God doesn't cause that relationship to go away. He calls us to walk through steps of healing and reconciliation. Healing hurt in relationships takes time, both for the one who harmed someone else as well as the victim. However, we serve a God of reconciliation. He loves to bring healing to the hurting and is an expert in restoring relationships.

Daily Challenge:
Has your insecurity caused you to harm someone else? If so, ask God to forgive you and to give you wisdom on what steps you can take to begin to bring healing to that relationship. Perhaps like Abel, you have experienced harm by the actions of someone else. If so, ask God to help you to forgive that person.