6 Elements of Sincere Reconciliation

Words matter, but only when accompanied by actions.

If we’re involved in a difficult relationship, we must make sure we’re honoring God’s desire for reconciliation (Matthew 5:23-24).

We can say, “I wish things were better” or “I’m praying for reconciliation,” but godly desires and godly prayers always lead to godly actions (James 2:16).

If we genuinely want to get along:

✔1. We’ll listen and respond to the specific concerns of the other person, asking forgiveness when we’ve done something wrong.

✔2. We’ll calmly express our specific concerns and give the other person an opportunity to explain or ask forgiveness.

✔3. We’ll genuinely forgive.

(See Don't Keep this Kind of List.) 

✔4. If we can’t agree on some situation from the past, we’ll leave it with God and quit bringing it up (1 Peter 4:8). 

✔5. We’ll remember we’re imperfect and not expect perfection from others.

✔6. We’ll never try to marginalize or punish family members. 

(See When Boundaries are Bitter Barriers.)

"Whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen." 1 John 4:20   

We give relationships our best efforts because we love the Lord.

💙💙💙💙💙💙💙 

💙Beyond 1-minute for those who want more:

I strongly encourage you to check out the Bite Size Bible Study Reconciliation: Actions Speak Louder than Words. 

If you’re going through a difficult relationship, I encourage you to pray through the passages below, asking God if you are handling the relationship biblically. And please check out today’s Bite Size Study. It offers insights on the passages below as well as several other important passages. And please guard against secular teachings like the popular Boundaries teaching: Are Henry Cloud's Boundaries Teachings Biblical?

Hebrews 12:14-15: "Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many."

Philippians 2:3-5: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…"

Matthew 7:1-5: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

Bible Love Notes