Recently I was aware of a husband and wife at complete odds and divorce papers being written up. Things were going pear shaped at a rate of knots and the wall was about to be hit.

But God.

I have had the honor of being part of seeing their amazing reconciliation.

Through prayer, support and counseling, I have seen this couple work through their challenges and piece together their marriage. They still have work (don’t we all no matter where your marriage is at), but it is all going in an upward trajectory. Amazing!

I believe that reconciliation is so much part of God’s nature. Look at Jesus for a start. He died so we could be reconciled to God. That is the ultimate reconcilication.

 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. Col 1:19-22

Whether you are at odds with your spouse, children, friends, neighbors or family, God is in the business of reconciling people. His heart is for unity and love.

Does that mean you allow people to walk over you? No. But you can set parameters down with love and affection.

Does that mean that you allow people who have gregiously hurt you into your life? Not always but I did see a man recently hug and pray for someone that had killed his son. It all depends on the circumstances, but generally God is about reconciling.

You have to work with the Holy Spirit on this. Lay down pride, resentment or bitterness. Ask Him how to DEAL with your particular situation. Pursue love. Pursue connection. Pursue Him.

• Penny Atkinson, Executive Pastor @ Presence Church

Photo by Austin Kehmeier on Unsplash