I'm not home long though, and I'm out the door in my RED shoes to my midweek discussion group. It's only a few people tonight... four of us to be exact, so we move our location from the church to a local coffee shop.
One of the new believers makes a statement. "God is asking for more of my time!" he says. "I've come to realize that it's more than just saying the prayer to ask Jesus in my life. He wants me to trust Him and I can't do that without spending more time with Him." What a great observation on his part, and it opens the door for some great conversation.Eventually we get to discussing our main theme for the evening... Reconciliation.
The question arises:
"Is there a relationship in your life
that has been estranged?"
And if so...
"Would you consider being the one to take
the first step towards reconciliation?"
Estranged means no longer close or affectionate towards someone, alienated, shut off from, a broken relationship.
Reconciliation is about restoring friendly relations with someone, bringing about harmony and/or compatibility.
All of my discussion groups are so different from one another in how they respond to the themes of the evening. Sometimes you get a group that can't relate, because they aren't estranged from anyone. In many groups there's at least one or two relationships that are not good. There are some in which there are several people who have multiple issues with many people in their lives. So it can go from one extreme to the other. Tonight, however, we kept veering off the path and going back to the topic of...
"A Relationship with God takes time!"
At one point, a lightbulb went on in my head and I realized that I'm not here to solves everyone's problems in one night. I'm here to encourage, promote, and guide people into a greater relationship with God. I certainly don't know everything... but I do know many things, because I've walked with Jesus for thirty years. My co-facilitator has even more time in with Jesus than I do. But this isn't about us downloading the answers to people. This is about people connecting with Christ and building a trusting relationship with Him so that He can teach them personally. And just like one of the group participants stated, "That takes time!"
Something else struck me tonight. Unforgiveness. Holding a grudge. Resentment. Bad feelings towards people. Estrangement. All of those things create a huge blockage in the flow of what God wants to do in a person's life.
Sometimes we are waiting for answers to prayer.
Sometimes we are looking for God's favor.
Sometimes we are expecting blessings from God...
And it's not happening!
God can't move. He can't get through the mess. It's like a traffic jam in the middle of your life. Where's God? What's causing the problem? It's that little bit of resentment you're harboring in your heart. It's that grudge that you're holding against your brother. It's that bad attitude you have with you friend. It's an unforgiving spirit that you carry with you. And it doesn't have to be all of those things. It can be just one of them.
Sometimes we are waiting for answers to prayer.
Sometimes we are looking for God's favor.
Sometimes we are expecting blessings from God...
And it's not happening!
God can't move. He can't get through the mess. It's like a traffic jam in the middle of your life. Where's God? What's causing the problem? It's that little bit of resentment you're harboring in your heart. It's that grudge that you're holding against your brother. It's that bad attitude you have with you friend. It's an unforgiving spirit that you carry with you. And it doesn't have to be all of those things. It can be just one of them.
Not for nothing, but it STINKS in the nostrils of God. It's putrid. It's disgusting. It's repulsive. God just doesn't work in that kind of environment. Matthew 5:23-24 encourages reconciliation:
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and you
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."
Ephesians 4:32 says...
“And be kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s
sake has forgiven you.”
Whether it's one person in the group with one little issue of unforgiveness, or whether it's many people holding grudges against others, the result is the same...
ROADBLOCK!
For the one who is looking to make headway with God, it is imperative to take action. Forgiveness and Reconciliation can be an overwhelming task. Breakdown that roadblock to manageable steps. Take a hold of God's hand and take one step at a time. Sometimes that task can take days... or weeks... or months to complete, but it starts with a willingness to TRUST GOD.
Here's the choice...
Do I stay where I am?
or
Do I move forward?
As you take one step at a time, one day at a time, you'll move ahead. It's only a matter of time and God will be flowing in your life. BREAKTHROUGH will occur.
You can do this with or without RED shoes!
Gail
