Forgiving Those Who Wound UsSample

Restoring Relationships

Do you find your mind dwelling on certain relationships because they are so broken and painful?

It can be very difficult to have a joyful spirit when one’s mind is so consumed. There are offenses that come between us and others that can interrupt our relationship with our holy God. Our worship is to be pure and blameless. Our forgiveness in Christ has guaranteed our access to God, but he desires us to become like his Son. Jesus exhorts us to “reconcile” ourselves to others. To reconcile is to restore the relationship to a proper order. We dishonor Christ when our relationships are out of sorts. Through forgiveness we can realign our relationships and come to God in worship with a clear conscience. While the other person may not desire to be reconciled, we are still obligated to do all we can to pursue reconciliation.

When we live this way, we honor Christ, and our worship of God is open and free. As we mature and become more like Christ, we will find that many offenses can simply be “overlooked.” We choose not to be offended (see Proverbs 19:11). We extend forgiveness to others, recognizing that we and others do much unintentional harm to one another. This is a gracious response to many sins, one that can head off unnecessary confrontations and prevent damaged relationships. Such mature behavior liberates us to enjoy unhindered fellowship with God and with others.