2 Samuel 14:1-15:22 / John 18:1-24 / Psalm 119:97-112 / Proverbs 16:8-9
Have you ever been so hurt or angry with someone that the relationship suffered? Every one of us would answer that with “yes”. Sometimes the relationship can be salvaged and sometimes it cannot. Reconciliation depends on many factors and I’ll go over some of those in later paragraphs. But first I want to share the verse from today’s reading that has me considering this topic.
2 Samuel 14:14 All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, He devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from Him.
Relationships are one of the most rewarding yet maddening areas of concern in our lives. Since we’re created for community, we are innately drawn toward others, including God. We both want and crave knowing others and we also want to be known by others. We want others to see us for who we are and value us for our true selves.
But that is not always possible when speaking of humanity. Certainly, God can know us fully, and love every piece of us inside and out. People knowing us, however, is much trickier. We each bring to relationships our strengths and weaknesses, areas we can give and areas where we have needs. As I’ve talked about in my Word of the Week on self-reliant, some are more needy than others (although I believe we all need to be taught to depend upon God instead of pouring all our needs on humanity around us).
How does this relate to the above verse? I love the phrases where God’s heart it not to just sweep life away. But He instead devises ways to bring us back. In other words, God does not treat us as a “throw-away”. He sees us as His valuable and loved creation and He will do everything He can to reconcile us to Himself.
As a matter of fact, God sent His Son Jesus to pay the price for our separation due to sin. The price paid was His shed blood, and that price was enough. Now we have a choice. We may choose whether we will be in relationship with God. However, He has already made Himself clear on the subject – He desires reconciliation with us.
And reconciling with God is good, right, and “safe” because He will not harm us. So, be reconciled to God! Reconciliation with people is more intricate. Not every person is “safe” for my emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. In relationships with people, I also have a choice as do you.
You are permitted to distance yourself from unsafe relationships. You are encouraged to forgive, but forgiveness does not always equal reconciliation. Forgiveness is for your peace of heart and mind. Distance may be for your own good. Sometimes too, if we’ll remove ourselves from the situation, God will have an opportunity to speak, and His words will bring life and healing to everyone.
Bottom line – God does not see us as “throw-aways”. He cherishes and values us so much that He gave His Son’s life so we could be in relationship with Him. If that doesn’t cause you to feel loved, I don’t know what will!
