Posted: under "A Slice Of Life", Inspirationals.
Tags: Bible, blessings, choice, encouragement, family, forgiveness, God, heart, hero, history, honesty, kindness, life, lovingkindness, perfection, prayer, protection, psalm, relationship, scripture, soul, thought, trust, wife
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Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ
has forgiven you.
- Ephesians 4:32 (NRSV)
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DURING a time of intense conflict in my family, I cried out to the Lord, “Where
did we go wrong? Didn’t we go to church, read together, pray and play together,
and do all the things that are supposed to bring and keep families together?
Why can’t we get along when we have you in our lives?” I felt like a failure,
as if somehow I had let down God and my family.
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As I sought comfort in reading scripture, I realized that family conflict is not
new. Abel died because of sibling rivalry. Jacob, encouraged by his mother,
deceived his father and brother; Samson disobeyed his parents in his choice of a
bride. Abraham lied about his wife in order to protect himself. These are just
a few examples from the Bible. Still, God worked in the history of the chosen
people through these individuals. We find them listed in the honor roll of
heroes in Hebrews 11.
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No, my family is not perfect; I no longer even seek perfection. Instead, we are
learning to admit our failures. And we are quietly attempting to repair and
restore our relationships by being honest and forgiving and by listening to and
accepting one another, even when we disagree.
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Prayer: O God, thank you for accepting us as we are. Open us to your work in
our lives. Amen.
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
We don’t have to be perfect for God to work in and through our lives.
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– Roxane Ricciardi (Georgia, U.S.A.)
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“Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” Psalm 143:8
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