Reconciling Relationships 修复关系

[Dexu Xia]

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

My sister and I clashed frequently when we were younger, but one time especially stands out in my memory. After a bout of yelling back and forth where we’d both said hurtful things, she said something that in the moment seemed unforgivable. Witnessing the animosity growing between us, my grandmother reminded us of our responsibility to love each other: “God gave you one sister in life. You’ve got to show each other a little grace,” she said. When we asked God to fill us with love and understanding, He helped us acknowledge how we’d hurt each other and to forgive one another.

It can be so easy to hold on to bitterness and anger, but God desires for us to experience the peace that can only come when we ask Him to help us release feelings of resentment (Ephesians 4:31). Instead of harboring these feelings, we can look to Christ’s example of forgiveness that comes from a place of love and grace, striving to be “kind and compassionate” and to “[forgive] each other, just as in Christ God forgave [us]” (v. 32). When we find it challenging to forgive, may we consider the grace that He extends to us each day. No matter how many times we fall short, His compassion never fails (Lamentations 3:22). God can help us remove bitterness from our hearts, so we’re free to remain hopeful and receptive to His love.

By:  Kimya Loder

When has someone hurt you? What did you learn from that moment?

Heavenly Father, thank You for the people You’ve placed in my life. Help me to have a loving and forgiving spirit.

并要以恩慈相待，存怜悯的心，彼此饶恕，正如上帝在基督里饶恕了你们一样。—以弗所书4章32节

我和姐姐在年少时经常吵架，但其中一次的冲突却特别令我难忘。记得那时，我们大声用一些难听的话互相谩骂之后，姐姐还说了一些在当时我觉得不可原谅的话。祖母看到我们之间的敌意加剧，水火不容，便提醒我们应当彼此相爱，她说：“这辈子上帝就给你们这么一位亲姐妹，你们对彼此要宽容些。”后来，在我们恳求上帝让我们的心能充满爱和体谅时，上帝帮助我们看到自己给对方所带来的伤害，使我们最后能互相饶恕。

很多时候，人们会紧抓着苦毒与愤恨不放，但上帝渴望我们能心中有平安，而要经历这种平安只有藉着祂的帮助，除去我们内心的一切怨恨和愤怒（以弗所书4章31节）。与其将这些感受积存在心，我们可以学习基督饶恕人的榜样，带着爱和宽容的心，竭力“以恩慈相待，存怜悯的心，彼此饶恕，正如上帝在基督里饶恕了[我们]一样”（32节）。当你感到很难去饶恕人时，可以回想上帝每天都赐给我们的恩典。无论我们失败了多少次，上帝的怜悯都永不断绝（耶利米哀歌3章22节）。上帝能帮助你我驱除心中的苦毒，好让我们的心灵能得到释放，拥有盼望并让祂的爱充满我们的心。

作者：  骆金妍（Kimya Loder）

在什么时候有人伤害了你？
你从那次的经历学到些什么？

天父啊，感谢祢将一些人放在我的生命当中，
求祢帮助我，让我能爱人、饶恕人