Scripture:

‘If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. (Matthew 18 15 & 1

Reflection:

How do you normally deal with conflict? We all have different ways of handling this - some of us resort to retaliation, some use the vehicle of social media, others through gossiping - each one of these methods invariably causes more harm than good. In this passage, Jesus gives us a blueprint for how we should deal with someone when they have ‘sinned against us’.

If someone hurts you, angers you, saddens you, or does you wrong in any way…you go and talk to them about it directly, one on one. Not only does this way of working out difficulties lead to forgiveness, it also does so in a graceful way. The offended party isn’t dragging the offender through the mud. If it gets worked out here, no one else needs to know.

Forgiveness is available without fear of embarrassment & it can be done quietly. Lovingly. Gracefully.

If this does not resolve the issue - only then should you employ the assistance of others - remembering to do so in the spirit of love and forgiveness.

Lyn Hayes ALM