Forgiven to Forgive

So much love, commitment gave I
With all my heart, Loved I another’s child
Left mother, father, creed and clan
Took upon me another’s name

Heaven on earth, promised he me
Forever you shall be mine and I yours
His words so sweet, precious to my ear
Queen of his heart, I sleep in bliss

Fly in the ointment! His heart to another?
In another’s arms he lies, I alone
Can’t look me in the eye, Barriers so high
Torn in two, Tortured being; My love

Numerous times, Middle of nights
Silently he creeps, lies next me
Straight as a log, touching me not
Both awake, then suddenly he snores!

Curled like a foetus, Chest to my knees
I hug myself, Silent tears, Hushed sobs
Crunching the pain out of my guts! The pain!
Like vomit; It clings; Refuses to go; Take it away!

Cheated on, Rejected, Sick to the stomach
Doubt myself, the demons back
Accusing, mocking, what were you thinking?
You’re too shallow for a man as he

Wedlock, instituted by God in Eden
To be a reflection of His love for man
Sweet communion for Creator and creature
Corrupted, piercing God’s heart with pain

Now a void and dismal canyon lies
Separates me from my dearest One
Long for Him but my infidelity
Keeps the chasm ever so wide

In love He sought me from the mountains
Pleasures thought I, but bitterness reaped
He had to leave the ninety and nine
To seek the one in pain, sickness and despair

Mercy! Grace! Justice! Kiss each other
And make me Restored once more to my life’s Love
Nothing I do can ever repay
I owed so great a debt, only His death could pay

Left He His glory in heaven above
Trod the winepress with blood stained
Humbled Himself to death, death of a cross
Just so in His name, once more could I be called?

Pleasures he sought, left wounds so deep
She just took and took, and gave nothing back
He comes to me and in tears pleads
Take me back my love, I am yours once more

My chance to get the vengeance I sought!
Oh! What a joy this will be
For him to feel a taste of his own medicine
The hurt still lingers, I can’t forgive

Then I look upon that hill, a hill called Mt. Calvary
Outside the City gates, where my Saviour hung
In love and compassion He shows me too
How like a harlot I too sought other gods

It hurt my loved One when I trusted in others
Yet in love He sought me, Pursued me till I could be found
Behold what manner of love is this?
That a God so great would humble Himself for me

Come my love back into my arms and heart
I was given much more than I could repay
Your wrongs to me fade into oblivion
Compared to what I’ve done against God

Who am I to not forgive?
When such as my sins are covered in His blood
Forgiven to forgive I was; I forgive you
I love you my love, with an endless love!

Thank you for taking the time to visit my page. Please, share with me how you've struggled or triumphed in forgiving someone who has greatly hurt you. You can comment or email me on nomusamadlala@gmail.com

A STIFF-NECKED PEOPLE

Psalms 105 and 106 narrate the journey of the children of Israel: from the promise that God made to Abraham, the provision for food made through Joseph’s enslavement in Egypt, their favour in Egypt, their deliverance from an oppressive Pharaoh, their journey to Canaan and how they discharged themselves on reaching that land.

In spite of all the great works of deliverance that God performed for His people, they always found themselves wandering away from Him and disobeying His Word. Yet each time, God demonstrated His love and mercy towards them, and forgave them their wanderings. How like Israel I am! Out rightly stubborn or forgetting God’s leading in the past and choosing to disobey his Word and following after ‘strange gods’. Many times, a lot of us panic and start looking for ‘strange solutions’ to the challenges we meet in life. We do well to remember how the Lord has led us in the past. That should fortify us to know that He has a way out for us, no matter how dismal things may seem right then.

Many times God wanted to destroy the Israelites and start all over building a new chosen nation with Moses, but Moses stood in the gap and pleaded for God to remember His covenant with Abraham. God listened to Moses because He and Moses had such a special relationship that garnered favour for Moses. The lesson for us here is that: if I am upfront with God, trust Him explicitly and do His will unquestioningly like Moses did, I become His friend and can stand in the gap of intercessory prayer for my husband, children, community, church and country etc. God can spare His judgement on them through my obedience and intercession.

By forgetting the Lord’s promises, the Children of Israel missed the opportunity to enter the Promised Land within a few weeks of leaving Egypt. They doubted God’s Word and became afraid. The result was a forty year journey that eliminated the unbelieving generation, leaving only Joshua and Caleb from the original group to cross the Jordan to the other side (Joshua 4 v 6; Numbers 32 v 11-13). Even though these two faithful men eventually entered the Promised Land, it was still 40 years later. The lack of faith and disobedience of their fellow travellers caused Joshua and Caleb to be delayed in receiving the Blessing of their obedience. Lack of faith and disobedience can delay my attaining the ultimate perfection that God wants to work for me. Not only does it affect me but it also affects those who are with me who have obeyed God. For me ‘to get the lesson’, those travelling with me are also negatively affected.

What really shocks me though is God’s reaction to Moses’ one mistake. Instead of speaking to the Rock to bring forth water, after declaring to the people that ‘he and Aaron’ were now forced to ‘fetch water for the noisy, complaining, stubborn people out of the rock’, Moses smote the rock, not once but twice (Numbers 20 v 7-11). Immediately God passed judgement on Moses (Numbers 20 v 12). For his disobedience, he too would not cross the Jordan but could only view the Land from the top of the mountain before he died (Numbers 27 v 12-14; Deuteronomy 32 v 48-52). What a price to pay for a single mistake. The lesson for us is that no matter how much we think we are justified in our acts of disobedience, it is displeasing to God and will have its consequences, no matter how transitory the consequences may be. God in His infinite love towards us has a way of bringing beautiful outcomes from our mess (Romans 8:28). Moses, though he did not step on the land of Canaan, God resurrected him and took him up to heaven (Jude v 9). There is no justification or rationalisation about sin. Provocation is no reason to disobey god’s word. God demands total obedience of us.

What a ‘stiff-necked’ person I am Lord. Just like the children of Israel, I doubt Your promises and miss out on the fullness of joy that You have prepared for me. Like them I forget the testimony of what You have done for me in the past and look to ‘strange gods to deliver me’ in times of trouble. Like Moses I feel justified to react in anger to ‘provocations’ from my fellow man and disobey You. Psalm 106: 43-45 gives me hope that You are a forgiving God, who does not forget His promises but remembers them and repents of the destruction determined for me when I come to you in repentance. Instead of treating me according to my transgressions (Psalm 103:9, 10), You extend mercy and grace to me and hear me when I cry and You forgive my sins and impart on me Your righteousness. Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting. AMEN

You can share with me how you have experienced God's judgement and mercy in your Christian walk. E mail me on nomusamadlala@gmail.com or leave a comment

SEEK HIM FIRST

My morning routine usually involves my waking up earlier than my family to ensure that I do some of my personal activities before the crunch of daily demands sets in. This is the time when I read my Bible, talk to God and let Him talk to me. Usually from such experiences I am motivated to write something that I can share with others about my walk with God.

On days when I’m not going to work, I sit longer at the computer writing until the usual cue for me to stop. The cue is my little two year old son, Junior. Every time, without fail, when he awakens, he grabs his ‘bhabhu’ (little blanket) and comes straight to the computer looking for me. Sometimes if I am no longer at the computer he will search for me through the house while at the same time calling out for me. If it takes too long for him to find me, I detect the desperation in his voice and quickly answer back to let him know where I am. The greeting is always the same. He expectantly raises his arms for me to carry him and he wraps his cute little arms around my neck and says ‘Good morning mommy. I love you mommy.’ It’s a ritual that I so enjoy. It brings me so much happiness and bonds me ever so close with my little boy.

Mornings are special times at which we set the tone of the day based on how we first interact with our loved ones. David, a Bible character I love to model my life on had something special going between him and God every morning. In Psalm 5 v 3 David writes: ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord: in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up’. By coming to God in the morning we connect with the One who gives and sustains our life’s needs. Many are the challenges of the day and they can easily overcome us unless we tap on God’s promises for us.

There are days when I get so busy and bogged down with work that I get home late, sleep late and obviously wake up late. Looking at the things that need to be done, sometimes I skip the special time with God in the morning. Such days are almost always plagued with irritations, flaring tempers and things that just don’t go the way they should. It usually requires me to take time out, even if it’s for a couple of minutes, and have a short heart-to-heart with God and somehow the calm always returns.

What is important for us to remember as children of God is that God understands us as His children. Yes, it is good to have a regular scheduled time for daily devotions with God. But I don’t think that God stands with a register and a huge pen to mark that you were present and on time or absent for the appointment. If we revisit the analogy of my mornings with my little boy we’ll discover that on some days he wants us to linger and do things together before he is satisfied enough to go and do something else on his own. On other days he is just content getting a hug and kiss and getting on with business. Also it is not like clockwork that he wakens to seek for me. On some days it is earlier and on some days it is slightly later in the day.

Of course when his usual wake up time comes I anticipate his coming, but if he does not pitch up I do not rush to disturb his sleep and insist that he avails himself. Neither do I sulk and complain when he does eventually come. Sometimes because something exciting happened the previous night such as a relative or friend coming over, he will sleep later than usual and obviously wake up a bit late. The one consistent thing that I always count on is that he seeks me out first thing he awakens without fail. Even when I have gone to work, I am told that’s what he does and then has to be told that mommy has gone to work but she will come back. A further habit that he has developed since it registered with him that mommy goes to work is that as I prepare for work, he awakens just for a few moments to say ‘Hello mommy, goodbye mommy’ and then immediately goes back to sleep. It’s so sweet and tugs at my heart’s strings.

So we need not beat ourselves up and go on guilt trips just because we have missed our appointed time with God. We do well to remember that God can never be too busy for anyone of His children. Psalm 34 v 15: ‘The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry.’ What God always counts on is that you will seek him first no matter what the circumstances. One thing that I have learnt is that no matter how pressed I am for time, even if it cannot be the full devotional program that I do in the morning, I give myself time to connect as soon as I get out of bed.

At such times, that is when I cherish having memory verses that I can recite without having to open my Bible. Sometimes all I do is sing songs that talk about what I need from God or that address where I’m at in my spiritual barometer while I shower or do whatever I do in the morning. The important thing is to activate my connection with God anyway I can. The principle is to seek Him with all my heart, the how can vary and can be a matter of preference.

What I have found out also is that even after having a full morning devotional time with scripture reading, prayer, meditation and praise, I still need to connect and touch base with God throughout the day. My little boy at intervals throughout the day will start to get irritable and look for mommy to soothe his worries away. That’s how it ought to be between us and God. We do well to continually come to Him throughout the day to connect to His life giving power so we can continue to be effective.

Yes, it is good practice and it is important to have a scheduled time to meet with God early in the morning. For some of us working moms, it is best to do this before we do anything else because of the nature of our day. For some who are stay-at-home moms (blessed people!) it may make sense to get everyone off to school and work, put the baby to sleep and then have the special connection time when all is peaceful and quiet. Yet again, if anything happens to alter that schedule, you can still reschedule and enjoy communion with your Heavenly Father at a more practical time. I have found my lunch times at the office a suitable alternative. I believe that what’s of utmost importance to God in addition to the fact that you came, is that you meet with Him when all your faculties are sharp and you can have quality time together.

It is my sincere hope and prayer that each one of us will develop the all-important habit of deliberately setting a time to tell God what pleases and annoys us, praise Him and thank Him for His blessings and give Him time to heal, comfort, restore, teach and correct us bearing in mind that God is love.

God Incarnate for Me

He who was, He who is, He who shall be

From eternity past, to eternity future

Holy, Holy, Lord God almighty, I AM

Conceived of woman was He

Mystery, Wonder, Unfathomed love

Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient

Confined, Restricted, to one place bound

Helpless, Dependent, Reliant on man

Helpless infant, Born of mortal woman

Not counting it loss that He was God

Splendour for home, Founded on jewels

Streets paved of gold, clear as glass

A Nazarene, Wanderer, of no fixed abode

Please explain the mystery to me

Why? How can God reduce to this?

Demons rebellious, Devised His demise

By His own, Denied and betrayed

My curse on Him, He cried in pain

Father, I hurt! Let this cup pass

For humanity Son, Drink the cup

Creator, Giver, Sustainer of life

Existent of His own volition

Fully God, yet fully man, God incarnate

On a tree, Cursed, Despised, Forsaken

Helpless hung, no life in Him

In dark tomb lay the Light of the world

‘Twas love drove Him there

Took He my place, forever severed

Wait! Hush! What’s that I hear?

Burst He forth, Eternal life keys jingling!

Who is this that condemns and judges?

Accuser of brethren, Shame on you

Jesus paid it all, I’m free; I’m free

Smile on my face, Head held high

I am His; He is mine, Eternity is sealed.

Worth the Royal Blood

I am no poet, but looking at where I am today and how powerfully the hand of God has led me, some form of prose flowed through my keyboard today. Be blessed:

WORTH THE ROYAL BLOOD

Because He died, I count for something
Because He died, I want in nothing
No need to despair; Calvary paid it all
My wounds and sorrows, scars and all
Took He upon Himself, so I could be free!

He took my pain; Oh so much love
Left His home in heaven above
Naked, reviled, despised was He;
When it should have been me
Oh, so much love; My brokenness
He took it all upon Him, so I could count for something

Wonder all ye heavens; Unfallen beings ever faithful
In whose minds, desires and deeds, no evil ever dwelt
He left you all, in pursuit of me; Sinful, vile, unclean
That’s how much I’m worth; Not just something but someone

Voices shouting; Worthless, unlovable, unloved!
Be silenced! Be silenced! Michael has stood!
Calvary stands to testify; I am worth the Royal Blood
Daughter of Zion, you are worth the Prince’s life
Calvary stands to testify; I am worth the Royal Blood!
Praise ye the LORD!

A Few Nuts and Bolts About True Love

'Let thy fountain be blessed and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the hind and pleasant roe. Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times and be thou ravished alway with her love' Proverbs 5 v 18,19

Today, Wednesday 11 August Lenox and I are celebrating our Anniversary. It was 16 years ago on this date that we made our vows before Reverend Tshabalala in the Anglican Church in New Lobengula, Bulawayo. That should explain why I’ve had a lens on relationships in my writings over the last couple of days. Wedding anniversaries are a fitting time to do such reflections, I think. Like I said before, in most cases we can trace the mood between a husband and wife to the thoughts that have been going through each one’s mind. When one has been having positive and affirming thoughts about their mate, they will generally be amiable toward them, and the opposite is true. Or your mate’s good acts prompt you to act lovingly towards them while their bad behaviour prompts you to be ungracious in return.

This may sound like a superficial analysis of what goes on in a marriage. Surely there must be more than that for a couple to end up separated or divorced. The honest truth is that your mate is not perfect and in their imperfection they are prone to do various things you do not like, approve of or that cause you pain. How are you to react when such happens? Does the absence of misunderstandings or fights mean that a couple is happy? In some cases it may mean the opposite. The two may not care enough to even fight. Healthy people will have disagreements from time to time. The most important factor is how they deal with it. I’ll attempt to look at some of the ways that we react to disagreements that may be detrimental to a healthy and happy marriage and also try to suggest a better way to do things. These are some of the ways we deal with each other and as usual I will tap from my own experiences.

1. Close up and refuse to talk
For most women it is the proverbial silent treatment and for most men it is pride and refusing to open up. Many times I have laughed at myself after I have given the silent treatment to my husband for one reason or the other. The obvious result is that he is going to conclude that we are not talking today and shut his mouth after several attempts at striking a conversation. The truth about me is that I love talking. I am a very relational person and talking is one way I enjoy to bond with people. So sooner or later I will want to talk and Lenox will have settled in the no talking mode that I set. It will take a lot of effort on my part to bring back the mood that will help us strike a conversation again. In most cases I must say it is quite comical to watch. I really credit Lenox for letting me back in after such treatment. On the other hand my macho husband will choose to be ‘the man’ and for whatever reason refuse to discuss an issue that is going on between us. He will want to talk about everything else except that! As his wife I believe I am gradually learning the art of getting him to open up and talk issues.

2. Get out the daggers
Another way that we sometimes deal with each other is to get ready for battle. We get so angry with each other and say things that we regret in the end. Usually for me this reaction comes when I have spent a lot of time in the ‘blame room’. After whatever incident that will have happened to cause tension between us, I visit the ‘faults deposit box’ and pull out of it any previous incidents that may have any link or similarity with what is going on now. Looking at that stuff long enough brings out the warrior in me and I will fight with whatever I can. It never gets to physical blows, but it’s still a fight. Those of you who are married may know what I’m talking about. For that period of time in my mind, my husband is enemy number one and must be destroyed! This is one of the most difficult moods to get out of and when it’s over I feel so drained and ask myself why I could not have put the energy into better use.

3. Play the victim
There are times when apportioning blame is the way to go. At those times it is never my fault. I am a victim of circumstances. It is a fact that men are physically stronger than women (at least in most cases and certainly in mine) and tradition (especially African) just has the whole system set up to favour the male of the species. So, all the things that men do are just set to bring that point home and who am I to argue with that? The fact that my husband is an individual who chooses to do what he wants irrespective of the environment just does not register at that moment. All that I see is how the odds are so heavily against me and I just give up and submit to the status quo. That is not a fair way to fight because really truly speaking, I am a capable individual and playing the victim is just a way of manipulating the situation to my advantage. I am sure to some extent the hubby is guilty of playing the victim too in a uniquely male way.

Reading this one would think, ‘How on earth has this marriage lasted for 16years’? This man is married to a mad woman. Friends: that is where we were for the majority of time in our earlier years of matrimony. Due to space limitations I cannot list all of the things we have done to each other, but there is much more. From time to time we wander back into that territory but with maturity we have learnt how to see the signs and quickly navigate out of the rut.

The fact that we have come this far is not because we are wiser or smarter than those who have not made it as far as we have. We have come this far purely by the grace of God. God in His marvellous mercy has through His Holy Spirit chided us, broken us, moulded us, and continues to do so. We are not yet what we ought to be, but thank God we are certainly not what we used to be. As individuals and as a couple we have been through so many challenges that if God had not been there, we would have drowned. Many times bags have been packed with one or the other being thrown out or just deciding that enough is enough, but thank God that here we are today.

To celebrate my 16 years with a very marvellous and incredible man, I want to share a gift with you. No matter what your marriage is going through, there is hope for you if you do not give up on your spouse. Do not listen to what people say is politically correct. Just call upon God to give you strength to walk on, ask Him to carry you where it is too tough for you to walk but never give up. Purpose in your heart to give your children a different legacy: one that will set them up for a future where they will have memories of mom and dad who loved each other to their individual graves. It’s worth it!!

May the Spirit of the Lord do for you what needs to be done. I leave you with this Bible text: Isaiah 40 v 31 ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint.’

To Lenox, my one and only ' Thank you for sticking out with this crazy girl. You gave me love when I had lost hope of ever feeling loved. You showed me that manhood is all about gentleness and caring. May your sons learn from you and pass the legacy on to their own sons. God bless you. I love you. Happy anniversary.'

The Real Reason to Love

“(Love) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all thins, endures all things”. 1 Corinthians 13 v 7

I have been taking stock of the people in my life and how I have felt towards them at any one time or other. Top on the list for obvious reasons is my husband. I spend a lot of time with this man in private and in public. There are times when laughter and conversation have flowed so easily between us. We would hold hands for no reason at all, smile when we talk to each other, and generally do kind things for one another. At such times I send prayers of thanks giving to God for giving me such a wonderful and loving husband. Then there is the other side if the same coin. There are those dreadful times when even his voice irritates me. Anything he says is not right, his touch causes me to cringe and I must confess that a few times I have prayed to God that if He were really fair he would just strike this creature of His with lightning and save me from all the pain that he causes me. Can I see a raise of hands from those who identify with me? I hope it’s the majority if not all, otherwise that will make me a nut case.

I want to take an honest look at what causes the two contrasting situations that I have described with the same person.

In most cases when the lovey-dovey feeling rules supreme, it will be because of three major reasons. The first is that he will have immediately before done something that makes me feel special or that shows just how high esteem he holds me in. It could be that he bought me a present for whatever reason did something special or good for our children, parents or other relatives or has just been civil, respectful, cherishing and loving in his conduct towards me. The second reason is that in my private thought moments I will have chosen to think of the good times we have had in the past, dwelling on the good qualities that Lenox has which I admire in him or which distinguish him from other men and makes him the one for me. The third reason, which I am not particularly proud of, is when I want him to do something for me that would really take a lot of love for one to do. Then I’ll soften him up with a good attitude for a couple of hours before I drop the bomb. Ha! Ha! You’ve guessed it; the response he gives will determine whether or not the happy wife continues to reside in the house.

Obviously the reasons for my sour disposition are the opposite of the above. Firstly if he forgets my birthday or our anniversary, or has not been particularly civil, kind, respectful, loving and cherishing in his behaviour towards me, I give him back a taste of his own medicine, good measure, pressed down and shaken together. Second there are times when the choice of thoughts in my mind will focus on all the sins that he has ever committed to me in the past( real and perceived), and focusing on his personal weaknesses and things that get on my nerves about him. Thirdly, there are times when I feel I can go it alone if I needed to; after all I am a strong, intelligent capable woman who really does not need a man to validate her worth. Whenever any of these three scenarios are prevalent, the mood around us can be chillier than the North Pole.

There’s a whole lot I can say about the whys and whereof of such conduct in a marriage or any relationship for that matter, but for today I want us to focus on what it says about our reasons for love or saying we love someone. Do you see a common thread in my reasons for having loving gracious feelings towards my husband? It is that one way or the other he must earn my love. When he does not act lovingly towards me, my love dies down or disappears all together. When he acts lovingly I reward him with being amiable. Memories of his good and kind acts towards me directly or indirectly make me a goodly wife. The good qualities that he has motivate me to act lovingly towards him. My realisation of my need for him to provide material and emotional support make me dependent on him, therefore I love him and want him to always be around. It’s like a stage on which the quality of his acting determines the response of the solo audience. If personal attributes are the only reason for my love for my husband, what will happen when these gradually disappear? What it means is that there will be no reason for us to continue ‘in love’ hence the only option open would be the dreaded ‘D’.

The only way love can last a lifetime is if it is unconditional. I must love because I choose to love not because my husband deserves to be loved. Do not get me wrong, personal attributes do have their place, otherwise how would I have known that Lenox was the one I chose to live with the rest of my life. Something did attract him to me and hopefully me to him. But the reality of life was that when we got to know each other more intimately there were some attributes we both discovered in each other which we did not particularly like. But that did not mean that we were to discard each other or write each other off as husband/wife material.

The vows that we made to each other at the marriage alter had phrases like ‘to love and to cherish for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health’. These are really profound words which many of us say with stars in our eyes on our wedding days without really thinking about what they mean.

Really, truly and honestly speaking, this kind of love cannot be attained by mere human effort or zeal. It is a love that can only come from a God who is pure and holy and yet decided to take the nature of sinful man to come and rescue a hopeless race that had deliberately chosen a path of destruction. God’s love for us is absolutely unconditional. It was his absolute prerogative to terminally destroy us and eliminate sin from the face of the earth, yet God in His infinite love treated us with grace and mercy and chose to die in our place so we could be saved. When Moses asked God to show him His glory, the character of God was revealed to Moses as described in Exodus 34 v 6&7a; ‘And the Lord passed before Him and proclaimed. ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth. Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin’. Connect this with Psalm 103 v 8-14; ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy towards those who fear Him. As far as the East is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. (NKJV) and then you can appreciate what true love is. God loves us not because we deserve it but because He chooses to love us.

God does not love us because we are lovable. He loves us because He is love. 1 John 4 v 10 ‘In this is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins’ (NKJV). If God asked you to be perfect before He could love you, what would be the chances of your success. There is no way you would ever merit God’s love. If God has loved you this way my friend, why then do you demand perfection from your fellow man before they can deserve your love? 1 John 4 v 11 ‘Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another’ (NKJV).

Father, in our fallen, pompous human nature we have placed conditions for our fellow brothers and sisters to earn our love. Yet when we look at what you did for us on the cross of Calvary, you chose to die for us when there was no guarantee that any single one of us would receive that love. The kind of love that You have shown to us is one that is willing to take risks. On our own Lord, we cannot attain such love. It is only as we receive Your love that we can share it with our fellow man. Due to our selfishness many relationships have been ruined: Parents have disowned children because they have fallen short of expectations, children harbour resentment and disrespect for parents because they have let them down, marriages have ended in divorce because one or both spouses have refused to forgive. There is so much pain in our lives because of broken relationships resulting from unmet expectations. We humbly come before Your throne of grace this moment and ask You to cleanse us and purify us. If You, the majestic King of the universe humbled yourself to take the first step in reconciling with fallen man, who are we to be too proud to take the first step at reconciling with our parents, children, spouses to mend the broken relationships. Father I present to You all who are reading this who have ANY relationships that need mending. Touch their hearts Oh God and reveal to them Your love so they may receive it and share it with others. Only You can do it of us Lord. Please help us for the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ. AMEN.