Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24, NIV
This wasn’t the first time I had listened to my colleague and friend speak bitterly about the ongoing personal and professional issues he had with our principal. I could see that for him, this was a smoldering coal. I could also see that it would do far more inward damage to him than anyone else if it was allowed to fester. This colleague was also a professing Christian. As he continued to air his grievances confidentially to me, the Lord pressed upon me: Forgiveness.
These verses bubbled up in my spirit:
Forgive, for you have been forgiven much.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14, NIV
Love and pray for your enemies.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48, NIV
Vengeance belongs to the LORD.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse […] Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:14, 19-21, NIV
I knew that God wanted me to give this message of correction to him. But…I was a bit scared. He was my elder, friend, and ally in my workplace. I respected him. He was passionate about this seething grudge. What if he viewed my message as a betrayal or being on his “enemy’s side?” What if this ruined our friendship?
For weeks, God kept pressing on me: Forgiveness. Tell him he needs to forgive.
I knew I had to, scared or not. So, one day after school, I finally did it. As I locked my classroom door and headed upstairs to his, I prayed in earnest that God would soften his heart to receive this message in brotherly love. As we sat down together in his classroom, I took a deep breath, confessed to him that I was kind of nervous to say what I was there to say…but here goes.
And the ending of this story? It’s a testament to God’s faithfulness.
The moment I spoke the words God wanted to say to this man, my voice shaky but my heart resolute, he sighed and said, “I know…you’re right. This is something I’ve been working on for years. Please help me: how do I forgive?”
God was faithful to answer my prayer of a softened and receptive heart, and I got to witness how the Lord was already at work in this man’s heart on this very topic, tilling the soil. My friend rightly saw this conversation as an outreach of needed correction from a place of Christian sisterly love, and in it, could see that ultimately, this is God’s hand reaching out, not mine. After all, HE is the one who knows all things of the heart: And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. Romans 8:27, NIV
Holy Father, thank You for the family of God: for brothers and sisters in Christ and the way You have designed it for us to encourage, admonish, and correct one another in love. Father, I pray today that if I am the one who needs correction, that You would soften my heart to receive it humbly. I pray that if I am the one who needs to help a brother or sister, that You would encourage and embolden me by Your Spirit to speak the words You want to say to their hearts. May others always see more of You and less of me. Help us all, Lord, to remember how much we have been forgiven, that we might also forgive others when they trespass against us. Give us an extra measure of Your mercy and grace to pour out onto others, and we will be blessed for it. Thank You for Your faithful and steadfast love. Thank You for Your long-suffering nature; may we be reminded of it today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Copyright Rhapsody Jordan-Parisi.
Rhapsody is a Christian Educators member and high school English teacher from North Carolina. She is passionate about helping overwhelmed teachers reclaim their time and peace of mind through support, encouragement, and intentional strategies. You can connect with her at tightropeteaching.com.
