Tonight I was talking with a good friend on the phone about a passage in the Bible. Ephesians 4:26. "In your anger do not sin, and do not let the sun go down while you are still angry." I learned so much about this from my family. My parents weren't perfect and I certainly wasn't either, but one thing they got right was this principle of clearing your slate with one another before bed at night. Whenever we had arguments (usually because I wanted my way) or conflict over something, my parents took the initiative to make things right, even if I was mostly in the wrong.
Whenever a conflict arose my parents would always come into my room that night before bed and they would tell me they loved me, they would lovingly explain their reasoning behind what happened, and make things right. They would actually apologize if they had been in the wrong, although of course it was usually my teenage self that was in the wrong, and this taught me how to apologize. I learned how to be vulnerable with my family, because I had learned it was safe. So each night when I drifted off to sleep I would know that no matter what happened that day, we were ok. So now that I am an adult, I dont always have the right solution but I do know how to clear the slate between myself and another person. Its important. Other people may not receive me well all the time, or it may not go as I had expected, but at least if my heart attitude is right I can come to God and others with my slate clean.
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." Matt 5:23-24
0 comments:
Post a Comment