Leviticus 19:17 (Message Version)" Don't secretly hate your neighbor. If you have something against him, get it out in the open; otherwise you are an accomplice in his guilt."
I'm sure we all know by neighbor they don't mean the person who lives next door to you although it may apply. But seriously, how many times do we "not like" someone or someone "rubs us wrong". Now don't get me wrong, we don't have to be buddy buddy with EVERYONE, but we should not harbor hate or have "issues" with them. Especially, our brothers and sisters in Christ. I am as guilty of this as anyone.
How many times has there been "tension" between us and someone else and we don't even know why? We are semi polite or we just ignore them as to not address what may be underlying. Ducking our head in the sand like an ostrich is one of Satan's number one tools used to divide the church and ostracize Christians from each other.
Instead of "being polite", "pretending nothing's wrong", or maybe even posting a random anonymous comment on facebook about it....why don't we just address it? Like a wound that is not cared for, only two outcomes will happen. It will either fester with infections and become even more hurtful and volatile OR it will scar over and become hardened, visible, and sensitive. Neither is what God has intended for our relationship with each other to be.
Beside, (on a selfish note) do you REALLY want to carry someone else's guilt or issues? Don't we have enough to reconcile on our own to God without carrying anyone else's? I know I do!
So I encourage you ladies, and I say to myself as well, stop back biting, secretly talking, posting "random vents", and passing each other by with unaddressed tension. Pull your head out of the sand, look your neighbor in the eye and make a beautiful resolved relationship
instead of an ignored festering wound .
instead of an ignored festering wound .
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