Repairing in other ways

Over the last 3 weeks I've had to admit I hurt people's feelings or offended by my words and tone.

I'm very good at self-justification, but I knew I had spoken unkindly or aggressively and it was not justified. Once I reached that conclusion and had apologised to God, I knew I had to ask forgiveness from the people I had offended. Not so easy to repair this kind of situation compared to repairs in our house!

In one case I was not necessarily in the wrong, but had to clear up misunderstandings. We are not always wrong, but when we are aware of a difficulty in a relationship with someone, we become responsible for trying to re-establish that relationship.

So the Lord provided the opportunities and I was able to speak to the different people concerned. It brought us closer together and built up our mutual trust. What a great feeling ! It is so freeing to be able go on knowing we have been forgiven and the relationship is repaired. Admitting our differences but being respectful of each other's point of view is also a blessing.

Thank God we can go back and repair all sorts of things.

The next day I gaffed again and received an SMS letting me know. I apologised for the hurt by SMS and today I could hug the lady concerned. We both love each other as sisters in Christ.

Renovating can be a steep learning curve!

We are loving our new home, but still tied up in renovating the kitchen and have some tiling to do in the bathrooms.

What a challenge it has been! And thank the Lord for those who have willingly given their time to help us. It's quite a business when you want to do it properly!

I've realized yet again how much I hate going back over things or re-doing things. I used to be like that for school and uni work. Even as a teacher I really avoided having to re-do things, go back over things or start again. Which was rather hypocritical, since I always encouraged my students to have a go and not to be afraid of mistakes!!

How stressful that attitude can be! You fix high expectations and put off getting started until you are sure you will get it right. I strive for perfection, I try and avoid making mistakes, and yet I know it's not possible.

Living out one's faith is all about  getting started, taking one step at a time and relying on God to guide and prepare the way. Christians make mistakes. Missionaries make mistakes, see things come undone (not necessarily their own fault), have to stand back and watch others make mistakes because that is the way we learn and advance.

Renovating the house has reinforced my understanding of how important it is to take time to prepare: sometimes it means breaking up or dismantling. If you want a good result, you need a good base, a solid foundation. It's worth making the extra effort and taking the time. It usually means a longer-lasting result and easier maintenance.

God works in our lives in this way. We can also apply these principles to our mentoring and discipling work and in Christian counselling. Sometimes we help to undo - attitudes, false beliefs, recurring negative behaviour - and then begins the hard patient work of re-building on solid foundations. If we don't let ourselves be guided by God's Holy Spirit, the process will never be completed nor solid.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one shoud be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

  Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor 3: 10 et ss)

I'm less scared of picking up a paint brush and of choosing a colour, but I can't bring myself drill a hole - that's too irreparable for my comfort levels!! Maybe in our next house....