Friends
and accountability that come from
Christian community. live at peace with everyone” (Romans
12:17–18).
2. CHOOSE TO RESTORE THE BROKEN
RELATIONSHIPS IN YOUR LIFE. When you choose to forgive someone—
and notice I keep stressing choose,
which means you do it even if you
don’t feel like doing it—you turn the
matter over to God and no longer
have to worry about it. Such release
comes easier when you consider how
much God has forgiven you. And the
Bible reminds us that there is a direct
relationship between these two things:
“Bear with each other and forgive one
another if any of you has a grievance
against someone. Forgive as the Lord
forgave you” (Colossians 3:13).
All of us have relationships that go bad,
but usually a broken relationship is the
result of two sinful people hurting each
other. But here’s something to think
about: the pain of unresolved conflict
is greater than the pain required to
resolve it.
The best gift you can give yourself is to
forgive anyone who has wounded you
in some way. You can’t force someone
else to apologize, ask for forgiveness,
or repent, but you can control how you
respond in your own heart before the
Lord. The Bible makes this clear: “Do
not repay anyone evil for evil. . . . If it is
possible, as far as it depends on you,
Forgiveness is one of the healthiest
habits we can practice as we lean into
community and the deepening of our
faith. When we forgive others and ask
forgiveness from the people we’ve
Solutions • 19