“A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.”
I have a confession, I don’t like when someone doesn’t like me. I’m not driven by it but I suspect like most people I like to get along with everyone possible. Every so often I do a review in my mind of people who I have gotten crossways with regardless of who was at fault. I try to work through that list by taking them to breakfast or lunch, reconnecting and, where necessary, seeking forgiveness. This allows me to keep the list relatively short. Currently I have about 5 people to do this with. Over the years there have been a few who were very close at one point of my journey whose relationships now seem irredeemable. The closer we were at the time that something occurred that broke our relationship the more difficult it is to reconcile. Solomon makes that same point here. He is not talking about a foolish slight or going too far with a joke. He is talking about clearly hurting a person of significant investment and value in our story. When we hurt that person, don’t have their back, take advantage of them or even move away from them intentionally by putting something above the relationship it does damage to a spirit and soul that is difficult if not impossible to repair…without supernatural intervention. God can repair anything broken by sin. I’ve experienced it. This verse describes it as barred gates, like iron bars, which create impenetrable boundaries. Only God’s intervention can break them down. Today I will work on restoring a few relationships that I should never have allowed to be broken. Today you might consider your own list and reach out. #BeTheEdge
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 NIV
