When You Can’t Fix What Broke, Hold onto Hope
This morning, I was talking with God about one of the devotionals I read in His Princess, Love Letters from Your King by Sheri Rose Shepherd. The photo of a stunning white rose that accompanies the text captured my attention. Focusing on it, I found my eyes wandering from the outside petals to the inside, where the center is tightly woven in soft cream-colored beauty.
Soon, my thoughts turned to the aroma of roses and the way we bend low to breathe their scintillating scent. We get near enough to practically touch the center with our noses, then inhale deep, trusting we will be rewarded with the delightful gift of a pleasing aroma. Just the thought of smelling a rose brings joy and peace to my senses.
It dawned on me that we are like the rose, tightly wound in the center of our soul, connected to God, where we are filled with His presence and peace. To be consistently in that precious place with Him is not something we can take for granted. We spend time with Him and search for truth in His Word because we love Him so much and want to be like Him, loving others as they are, welcoming them into our wide-open hearts.
I pondered the aroma people breathe when they are around me. How about you? Do those who draw near to you, who dare to know you, perceive the presence of the One you say you adore? Do they smell the “aroma of Christ” that you are called to leave behind as you journey through life? (2 Cor. 2:15).
Do they sense His love?
His grace?
His peace?
His joy?
His comfort?
His forgiveness and heart for reconciliation?
Can they tell from our words and actions that we are followers of Jesus Christ, students of the Master who taught us how to accept what is without judgment as we pray and work toward a stronger, closer family, community… world?
I thought I was in a unique position with siblings who have turned their backs on me for reasons I do not know, but the more I talk with others about their own families, I hear many similar stories. How did Satan do this damage to us, and what can we do to fight back, to encourage reconciliation, even if our family members are not yet in a relationship with Jesus?
In my case, I started with kindness at family dinners, taking extra time to ask them questions about their lives, work, and dreams while they asked me nothing about mine. It was hard, but I refused to give up or give in. I followed up with texts and letters – long letters in which I apologized for anything I said or did that hurt or upset them. I expressed how desperately I wanted my brother and sister in my life and asked them to please forgive me and explain what they felt I had done to deserve their rejection and abandonment. I received no reply from either one.
I was very sad for a time, then one day during my morning moments with God, He reminded me that everything is His. He is the one who can change their hearts and soften their thoughts toward me. I had done all I could. It was time to give them to Him, to place them in His hands that never fail.
Who are you struggling with today? A family member? A friend? Have you been rejected or abandoned in your church, community, or workplace? Have you done all you can to reconcile with them? If yes, it’s time to give the situation to God, to pray, and wait. If not, perhaps this is a good time to ask God to go before you to prepare their hearts to receive what you have to say and to desire reconciliation with you.
Maybe it’s time to send a text. Write the letter. Make the call. Mail a card. Then leave it all with God knowing you’ve done your part. Trust Him to bring goodness from the situation in His time.
The wonderful part about doing all you can and leaving the results with God is the freedom you will feel because, as you bring your requests to God, you are being reconciled to Him in your heart, mind, soul, and spirit. You will be free to forgive those who hurt you. Free to forgive yourself. Free to release whatever is between you.
Free to laugh.
Free to love.
Free to live in peace.
Free to be who God created you to be without worrying about what anyone else thinks.
And while you walk in freedom, joy, and peace, you will be filled with hope that God will intervene. He will change their hearts and heal their wounds and bring them home again to you.
That is the God we worship and adore. The God who leaves no one behind. The God who is everywhere, in everything, at all times. Rest in that truth today as you consider your next step. God has a wonderful purpose and plan for you and your relationships.
You are loved.
You are worthy of goodness and grace.
You have a purpose.
You are the one God wants to fill with hope and peace.
Lean into His heart and His Word each day and let the love of Christ pour over you and into you. You are being prepared for a wonderful work that God planned for you to do before you were born. (Eph. 2:10).
You are precious to Him. As you trust in Him, you will gain inner strength and beauty so when others lean toward you, to truly know you, they will be thoroughly surrounded by the irresistible aroma of Christ in you. And God will use that sweet scent to bring souls closer to Him.
May the love of God fill every inch of you today and every day.
Warmly,
Donna
