Hey Partners and Friends,
My six year old grandson was having a problem with his Nana. So Nana laid the law down. Alex was in time-out and he wasn’t very happy about it. In fact he decided he was not going to do a time-out, but soon discovered that was not an option. So he’s sitting in the chair wondering how long this is going to take;
“Nana, how long do I have to sit here?”
“Well, until you are sorry and apologize for what you did.”(we don’t remember what he did, only that it was worthy of a time-out.)
“You mean you are going to make me sit here all day long?”
“No, I’m not making you, that’s your choice.”
Alex thought about this for quite a while. Finally he decided he was sorry and sincerely apologized. As he got up from the chair Nana heard him sigh, “Whuush, that was hard.” Meaning the apology not the time-out.
Generally kids do not like to apologize, make amends, restitution or make things right. Many times they need to be coerced or forced into doing so, very childish behavior. However if they don’t at least apologize they get time-out.
The sad thing is, many of us adults are like that. Principle 6 of CR says, “Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and makeamends for the harm I’ve done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others.”
We hear volumes about forgiveness and how important that is to us, but amends, not so much. The truth is amends are of great value. We begin to grow up, taking responsibility for our actions. Otherwise we continue the same destructive behavior and nothing changes. When we refuse to do what we can to make things right, make amends, I’m pretty sure we are putting ourselves in time-out. Life is too short to continually be stuck in time-out.
Amends are not easy but necessary. We benefit more from making genuine amends than anyone else. Real amends will cost us something and they will always cost us our pride. It is a huge act of faith. We can trust God to use our amends to help bring healing, wholeness and freedom, and it’s the right thing to do. We can’t do everything to make wrong things right but we can do something. God will take over from there. Ultimately He will make ALL wrongs things right. He’s in the business of doing just that. I think we should join Him by making the things in our lives and relationships as right as we can, don’t you? Or I suppose we can spend our lives in a perpetual time-out.
2Cor7:11 NLT ,,,,You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right.
Isa 35:3-4 MSG Energize the limp hands, strengthen the rubbery knees. Tell fearful souls, “Courage! Take heart! God is here, right here, on His way to put things right and redress all wrongs. He’s on His way! He’ll save you!”
You can get up from the chair now!
Celebrating Recovery,
Jim & Pam