A repentant person will not make excuses, blame you or something else, rationalize their behavior, or justify what they did. If a person is doing any of those things, they are not repentant. Period.
Reconciliation is not a requirement. It’s the desired outcome, but it can only truly take place when four things have happened.
Male/Female Relationships in the Church
I clothe myself in the colors of those around me. I’m invisible that way. I won’t draw attention to myself unless I want to. Unless it’s safe. And yes, I’m in therapy.
We all have difficult people in our lives. We’re probably related to one or two. Maybe they live under our roof. God calls us to love, but love doesn’t always look like chocolate pudding and red hearts. Sometimes it looks like broccoli and liver.
A reader asks, “I want to be loving and gentle. But how do you do that and yet also not let yourself be manipulated or taken advantage of?”
Let’s talk about that.
This is the beginning of a new day. As I shared in my recent post, I am going to just show up on my blog and write. Nothing fancy. No “ten steps to This” or “five easy ways to That.” I’ve got you pictured in my head, and I’m writing to You. Nobody else. Just You. Get your coffee (I’ve got mine) and let’s go.
About a year and a half ago I began getting together regularly with other women in destructive marriages. We would pray together. We did a lot of weeping and subsequent nose blowing. A lot of laughing. A lot of venting. It was a safe place where we could let out all the pent up emotions […]
Forgiveness and Reconciliation
True, Joseph did forgive his brothers. And by the end of the story, he reconciled himself to them. But here is the part most biblical counselors leave out:
Joseph did not reconcile until he had tested his brothers’ repentance.
Read the rest of this article HERE.
Stupid People
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. Pr. 12:1
Proverbs 12:1 makes me giggle everytime I read it. The Bible uses the word stupid? Really?! I looked it up to see the Hebrew word, and sure enough, it means stupid. It could also be translated brutish or senseless. Whichever translation you use, the word is sobering in connection with something the vast majority of us hate – reproof.
Reproof is a negative comment, reprimand, or rebuke. Nobody LIKES negativity. Nobody likes being reprimanded. But the wisdom from Proverbs 12:1 is you better not HATE it. Dislike of reprimand is normal. Hate of reprimand will destroy you.
Read the rest of Wendy’s article HERE. I forwarded this to my older children with a little note telling them that I am fervently praying they will grow in wisdom and be open to reproof when it comes. I did give the caveat that some people get their kicks out of reproving every dot and tittle, and wisdom also requires us to take some reproof with a baseball sized grain of salt. However, when you hear echoes of the same reproof coming from two or more sources, it may require some serious consideration. People who don’t seriously consider reproof are fools. You can read more about how to know if someone is a fool HERE.
I loved this article from Wendy Alsup.