breach (defined): a tear, rupture, gap, or rift.
Ever had a breach in a relationship?
Ever had a friendship that was torn or ruptured?
In almost every long-lasting, human relationship there will come a time when we find ourselves at odds with the other person, and we will encounter a breach. The question is what will we do, once the breach has occurred? Too often I don’t want to be the one to reconcile the relationship, especially if they were the ones who started the breach. (And of course, in our eyes, they always are the ones most at fault – it couldn’t have been my fault, right?)
“No Christian ever has a right to sever any relationship with anybody out of anger…or even injustice.”
Two missionaries to the Appalachian mountain people, Alice and David, are having a discussion about a breach. So often I find myself with the attitude of David instead of the attitude of Alice.
“Miss Alice’s voice was mild. “I’m not passing any judgment on the rightness or wrongness of any part of it. All I want to point out is that there’s now a breach between Ozias and you, so it’s up to you to take the first step towards righting it.”
“Why me? He’s the one who was wrong.”
“David, I’ve been back here in the Cove a little longer than you. One of the worst evils around here is nursing grudges, sometimes for years. Retaliating evil for evil is considered a virtue, the mark of strong character. Here with this Ozias situation, you’ve got a ready-made chance to demonstrate a better way: the strength of forgiveness.”
“I fail to see how my forgiving Ozias for being a lazy bum would demonstrate anything to him and the other men except weakness?
“David, no Christian ever has a right to sever any relationship with anybody out of anger, [wounded pride], or even injustice, no matter how much he disapproves of someone’s actions. It’s our place to demonstrate reconciliation – not judgment or revenge or retaliation. That’s God’s business, not ours.”
Alice is right. God has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Yet, our own hurt pride and anger over the injustice done to us keeps us from demonstrating the strength of forgiveness. We are glad we have received forgiveness from God after continuously offending Him, but we are slow to give it to others. Why are we who are Christians so slow to repair the breach even if we didn’t cause it?
Her voice grew softer. “Beware the chasms in thy life, David. Sooner or later [you might] fall down in the chasm thyself.”
Are there any breached relationships that you need to start repairing?
For those who have repaired a breach, any advice on how you started?
(Quotes from the book “Christy” by Catherine Marshall)