Overcome Church

I bought a pair of boots a couple of years ago and was getting ready to give them away when I thought, I will give them another chance. Everyone loves this brand, and since they cost a pretty penny, I asked around before I invested. I shattered my left foot over a decade ago so investing in the proper shoe means walking with a limp or walking comfortably. These boots came highly recommended. So the investment was worth another try. Something changed the second time around. Every day I wore them, they began to shape around my foot, and eventually they fit like a glove. They have officially become my favorite pair of boots. The leather needed a break-in period to soften. Now, whatever the weather brings, my feet are supported, happy, and dry. The interesting thing is that even the rain gives them character and another level of comfort. I just left them sitting in the closet because I wasn't willing to be uncomfortable for a little bit.

A couple of weeks ago, I met a 95-year-old woman. She had just moved into one of the assisted living facilities where we minister. She greeted me with a smile that could light up a room. On the table in front of her sat a worn, well-loved Bible. I said to her, “I love to see a woman with a worn Bible. That means it has been cherished and loved.” She giggled and said, “That it has been.” I thought to myself how many storms she has carried the Good News through. How many nights had she pondered the pages and let the very breath of God comfort her. How many prayers has she prayed as she clung to the living word in her hands? How many pages were stained by the salt of her tears? Her fingerprints were on every page, and you could see the ripple of pages turned over and over again. The leather was soft and worn where she held it. Her Bible testified to her choice to choose God’s word every day. She let His Word shape her heart every time she opened the cover.

At 95 years old, I can only imagine our bodies get tired. Our joints ache, our muscles tire, and movement becomes more challenging. But our spirit, well, that never tires when we choose the Bible to feast on every day. At first, there is a breaking-in period. We stumble over concepts; we struggle when we don’t understand every passage, and some verses make us uncomfortable because they prick our heart. Every time we choose the Good News, we soften the calloused leather around our hearts; we open the pages for nourishment for the day; we experience the presence of peace that moves beyond our understanding. And before we know it, the Holy Bible becomes our favorite choice for everyday. Its living word carries us through the weather of life, and no matter what storms come our way, we put on our boots to walk through; God’s Word carries us through.

So if you have put the Good News on a shelf, if something caused you to step away from your faith: a church conflict, a grief, or a burden that is too heavy to carry, and you feel like God is nowhere to be found, it’s time. It’s time to get uncomfortable and pick up the living Word found in the Bible. As you read and turn the pages, let the tears flow, the hardness of your spiritual heart crack wide open, and the nourishment of God’s Word begin to nourish and strengthen your tired and weary soul. Trust me, it is worth the investment to give it another try!

Just something to think about!
Sherri Lynn McRae

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“It is precisely in this continuous process of confession and forgiveness that we are liberated from our isolation and encounter the possibility of a new disarmed way of living. Christians are peacemakers not when they apply some special skill to reconcile people with one another but when, by the confession of their brokenness, they form a community through which God's unlimited forgiveness is revealed to the world.” Henri Nouwen

Forgiveness is foundational to the gospel. The cross is the ultimate picture of God making a way for our sin to be forgiven and our relationship with Him restored. Maybe we need more conversations about forgiveness.

“How many times should I forgive?” Peter asked Jesus a question many of us have asked in one form or another: How much is enough? How many times do I have to forgive someone who has hurt me?
Jesus answered, “Not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22). Jesus wasn't giving Peter a number to count. He was describing a way of life, a life shaped by the extravagant forgiveness we have received from God.

But forgiveness and reconciliation are not exactly the same thing. Forgiveness releases the debt. Reconciliation seeks to restore the relationship. Henri Nouwen's work makes this distinction beautifully. Forgiveness means releasing what is owed, while reconciliation moves beyond the debt toward the restoration of friendship and relationship.

Reconciliation requires something that forgiveness alone does not: a conversation.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 18 that when there is conflict, we are to go directly to the person and talk with them. And in Matthew 5, Jesus says that when we remember that someone has something against us, we should go and be reconciled.

Yet how often do we choose silence instead?

We make an assumption. We form a judgment. We tell ourselves we know what happened, or why someone did what they did. And then, instead of having the difficult conversation, we simply allow the relationship to grow silent.

Sometimes silence feels easier than humility. Especially when we discover we were wrong. It takes courage to say: I misunderstood. I made an assumption. I should have come to you instead of making a judgment. I am sorry.

Henri Nouwen reminds us that confession and forgiveness are spiritual pillars of Christian community, and that having the courage to confess our brokenness moves us toward reconciliation rather than self-defense.

There is something deeply Christlike about being willing to take the first step. Because sometimes the greatest barrier to reconciliation isn't the offense. It's our pride. The gospel invites us to remember that we are not people who have earned forgiveness. We are people who have received it. And forgiven people become forgiving people.

Perhaps today Jesus is inviting you to consider a relationship that has become silent. Is there a judgment you made without having the conversation? Is there something you misunderstood? Is there an apology you need to offer? Is there someone you need to forgive? And is there a step toward reconciliation that you've been avoiding because it requires courage?

Forgiveness may release the past. Reconciliation gives God an opportunity to redeem what remains.

Just something to think about!