“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.
So what do you do when someone does something wrong to you and seems to not want to have anything to do with fixing the issue? What kinds of emotions are running through your mind? First your anger rises and then bitterness might set in. Then comes the explosion of emotions that you really did not want to happen. Pretty soon you probably have said or done some things that really were not so pleasant and a complete misrepresentation of the new you in Christ.
This type of incident just happened to us. John took our car to a dealership to get a deal on an oil change. When we then discovered after four days of driving it that the oil light came on, John popped the hood and found the car to be 3 quarts low on oil. Upon further investigation it was discovered the dealership had placed the wrong filter on the car at the time of the oil change. Now, needless to say John and I were a bit steamed. The final payment on the car was just paid. We really had no way of getting a new vehicle if the engine blew up in this one, so we were a bit angry when we called.
John spoke to the manager and she said for us to bring it to them and they would take a look at it. Well, that was not how we wanted it to roll. We wanted them to come get the car, knowing the dealership was in another town 30 minutes away. We did not have money for a tow charge. Some words were exchanged and we even threatened to get a lawyer for it seemed as though the dealership really was not going to doing anything. So John bought the right filter and put oil in the car and had decided to just not deal with it.
How many times do we do that with relationships? We figure it’s just not worth dealing with because nothing will be resolved. John waited a day to cool off and then drove to the dealership where he first apologized and asked for forgiveness. When he took the time to humble himself about the situation, then God could step in and show us just what favor was all about.
John left the dealership with a full refund, a 3,000 mile warranty on the engine, a new oil change with the best oil and the satisfaction that some times it takes humbling ourselves and repenting for our actions for God to do something awesome in our life. This goes back the one commandment Jesus left us with, love your neighbor. When we begin to let go of our own issues and accept that people make mistakes everyday, then we can be open to that love.
Is there some anger in you today? Have you pushed aside something that you feel won’t ever change? Maybe today, search your heart. Choose right now to look at some situations in your life that perhaps need some humbling. As for John and I, we are a work in process and sometimes we have to just take a deep breath and trust God to take care of all of our circumstances so that we can be ready to love and forgive others.
Step Upon the Golden Road with Me! 