Daily Journal: 26 July

Nurturing Forgiveness

Relationships come down to nurturing and forgiveness.

We could say, relationship is all about nurturing forgiveness

Life is about relationship. It’s about restoring relationship wherever possible and being at peace with others, as far as it depends on us. It’s about finding restoration and peace within our own heart through forgiveness. We can’t extend that nurturing and that forgiveness unless we have first experienced it. And we have experienced God's forgiveness through His extravagant love.

It can be hard finding a safe place with people. We let each other down so frequently that relationships cannot be maintained without the grace to forgive or seek forgiveness. While healthy boundaries are necessary to keep our hearts healthy within relationships, they are not an excuse to avoid what is uncomfortable. Satan's agenda is to create distance between people, especially God's people. We have to consider whether we're being healthy or whether we're playing into Satan's agenda. The Holy Spirit is our Counsellor, our Advocate and can help us through all of our tricky relationship issues.

Our heart must be for others, as God's heart is for us.

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 (NCV)

If you forgive someone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if I had anything to forgive—I forgave it for you, as if Christ were with me. I did this so that Satan would not win anything from us, because we know very well what Satan’s plans are.

Paul, the writer here, discharged any offense to himself in the presence of Christ, under Christ’s command to forgive. He makes it clear that in all cases of offense, it is Satan’s plan to break bonds of affection and unity between people.

James 4:1 (NIV)

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?

Satan will use the battle within to destroy relationships. While it's true, we cannot maintain healthy relationships with others on our own - they must want it, too, and be willing to work transparently and with a heart toward what is good and right - relationship in the presence of Christ, nurtures and establishes. If someone is of a different heart and we cannot maintain a relationship, we can still carry a heart of blessing toward that person. To nurture forgiveness means that my heart carries a cushion of grace towards another, despite differences.

Relationship with others is central to nearness with God.

How do you find hard, nurturing forgiveness in any challenging relationships that you have?

I pray that we have the heart to nurture and to forgive others and that we carry an ability to bless in our own heart. I pray that we understand healthy boundaries that promote God's agenda of unity and understanding, and that we will experience peace in our relationships.