BEING RECONCILED
Esav ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him; and they wept. Genesis 33:4
For quite some time, Ya’akov (Jacob), had been dreading facing Esau. He was so afraid his brother wanted to kill him; he sent his family ahead. If anyone was hurt, it would be them and not Ya’akov. Fear can impel us to do strange things.
Have you ever been in a similar situation, with a loved one, a friend or a colleague? How did you get past the fear, if you ever did? Did you attempt to reconcile with another? Reconciliation is one of the more difficult human behaviours.
The fear of reconciliation is closely attuned to the fear of rejection, although the fear of rejection also brings with it the fear of death. Believe it or not, more people perceive rejection as slightly more traumatic, than they do death.
There are three parts to reconciliation. The first is going to the person who has been wronged. This is a big step and one which takes great courage. When we approach those we have wronged, we are vulnerable. “What if they can’t forgive me? What if they won’t forgive me?” are major questions we face, when approaching our victims.
Then, we must forgive ourselves. Often, especially with believers, forgiving ourselves is very difficult. After all, we are supposed to be ‘spotlessly clean’, aren’t we? Sadly, we still have our human natures and these continue to be attached to the world, even if we have become born again. We do sin, even though we are not sinners.
Finally, or perhaps most importantly, we need to approach Yahveh and ask our Almighty God to forgive our sin. There are spiritualities which believe we need to seek God’s forgiveness through an intermediary, such as a priest; however, true believers may approach Him directly, through His Son Adonai Yeshua, the Lord Jesus, who is God. Should we fear approaching Him? Will He refuse to forgive us? In Luke 15:11-24, Adonai Yeshua shares with us His parable of the Prodigal Son. For those of you who have not read this passage, allow me to present a brief synopsis – the son of a wealthy farmer has an aching desire to see the world and live a different life. He asks his father for his inheritance and, when he receives it, he leaves the farm and sets out into the wide world. Here he lives an unfettered life and soon is depleted of all his cash. Homeless and hungry, he sets out, reluctantly, for the farm, hoping his father will take him back. He is afraid he will be rejected and practices his speech all the way home. As he comes near the farm, his father spots him and rushes out to meet him, welcoming him warmly, clothing and feeding him.
What is Adonai Yeshua’s message, through the parable? Yahveh loves His children, unconditionally. Even when we sin, He loves us. He is the Perfect Father. When we wish to be reconciled with Him, He will meet us more than half-way and will welcome us back, warmly.
Beloved, what could be more comforting than knowing our Heavenly Father loves us more than any human being could love us. Even when we walk away from Him, for whatever reason, He loves us. Yes, there are consequences we must face for our sins, but He will be there through all of it.
If you are afraid to approach someone you have wronged and ask for forgiveness, come to the Father first; gain His strength and courage to continue the journey towards reconciliation.
May the God of Avraham, Isaac and Jacob bless you richly.
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