Let’s talk about it

Let’s talk about it

Bible:Matthew 18:15-20

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them round your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart (PROVERBS 3:3).

Reading

A woman complained to the police because she was getting annoying phone calls. In the middle of the night a person would phone her, bark like a dog and then hang up. The police soon discovered that one of her neighbours was making the prank calls. He said that whenever he was woken up by the barking of her dog, he wanted to make sure she was awake too. The Bible says there are better ways to handle disagreements and fights. Sometimes the only thing to do is face our problems, or difficult people, head-on (MATTHEW 18:15-20). At the right time and in the right attitude (kind, understanding and generous), an honest conversation is so often the best way
to move forward. Yet such a loving, open approach is hard work. It goes against our every
instinct and sense of justice. Instead of trusting God and walking into tense situations wanting to bring peace, we prefer to ‘play games’. We gossip, we blank people, we tell our friends to pick sides, we whinge and moan, we try to get even somehow. I think that is one of the reasons we’re told, “Let love and faithfulness never leave you” (PROVERBS 3:3). Our problems with other people can’t just be smoothed over by burying our anger or ignoring our pain. And pain will only increase as we fight back. But knowing the love and faithfulness God has shown us, we can make the choice— the hard choice—to talk honestly with the people we have issues with and try
to bring peace.

FORGIVE AS THE LORD FORGAVE YOU. COLOSSIANS 3:13

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