“Therefore if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Messiah and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Messiah God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them; and He has entrusted the message of reconciliation to us.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 TLV

I read about a Pastor that “returned to the pulpit yesterday” after having been on a sabbatical aimed at reconciliation and restoration. He stepped down in April after being confronted by the Elders for “inappropriately texting a woman not his wife”. Though the texts were not sexual in nature and he reported that both his wife and her husband knew, the Elders felt it prudent to address it. 

It’s been on my mind most of the day – this idea of “reconciliation” of just one more pastor who has done something questionable in the pulpit. His actions, though private, were addressed in a very public fashion. So if a pastor like him can be “restored” and placed back into a position of leadership, how can we “normal” people be restored in relationships with one another where there is broken fellowship? 

First we have to look at what reconciliation is. Reconciliation is more than just repentance and forgiveness – it means to restore one to their position of favor. The Greek word is katallassō – G-d is said to receive one into his favor (to reconcile one to himself) again. 

I believe restoration starts with repentance and is followed by intentional actions to rebuild and regain trust. I remember a time when my now boss was very displeased with my performance. She told me so. It took me a while to rebuild the relationship and be restored to a position of trust. It required humility and intention on my part – humbling owning my mistakes and intentionally changing my actions. 

So how do we restore broken relationships? We start with humility – we admit what we did, without making excuses, and we just “own that crap.” We repent. We apologize. We ask for forgiveness. Then, we act with intention and purpose – rebuilding trust brick by brick much like building a wall. And finally wait for it to cure. We have to give it time. Chances are it wasn’t one instance or event that broke the relationship. Likewise, it won’t be put back together in a day. Restoration is a process. It takes time to restore relationships- and depending on the breech, it could take a long time. But if the relationship matters to you, you’ll make the time. 

Restoration takes three: You, Them, and Him. It will be worth it – because what He rebuilds in the end will be far more beautiful than how it began. 

Father – thank You for Your Word and truth. You know the relationships I long to see restored. Help me find a way. You are good and You keep doing good. Your leadership in my life is perfect and You can be trusted. Amen. 

Daily Reading: 2 Corinthians 5-9

December 5, 2022