Listen

“If your brother or sister sins against you, go and correct them when you are alone together. If they listen to you, then you’ve won over your brother or sister. But if they won’t listen, take with you one or two others so that every word may be established by the mouth of two or three witnesses. But if they still won’t pay attention, report it to the church. If they won’t pay attention even to the church, treat them as you would a Gentile and tax collector.”

Matthew 18:15-17

Think

When someone does or says something to you that makes you mad or hurts your feelings, it is so easy to turn to other people to make sure you have lots of people on “your side.” It feels good to have your thoughts and feelings validated, and to be honest, to hear other people tell you how wrong the other person was and how right you are. But Jesus tells us that we are to go to that person alone. That is hard! He continues by saying if they won’t listen, take two or three others, not a whole posse. This isn’t about creating the next “Real Lives of…” This is about being faithful to one another in community.

There are times, however, when reconciliation cannot happen. God doesn’t want us in harmful relationships. We do not have to stay in an intimate relationship with someone to continue loving as God loves.

Katherine Doyle

Question to Ponder:

Can you think of a time when you were angry or hurt and instead of addressing it with the person, you brought lots of others into it, creating lots of drama? Were relationships damaged?

Pray

Dear God, it is so hard when I have been hurt by someone else. I want to lash out and get people on my side.

Help me to remember the damage that this can do to myself, the other person, and the community.

Give me strength to respond as you command, and especially with love.

Amen.

Go

What communities will you be involved in today?

Look for where God is present.

Is God nudging you to do something or to say something?