Grace for the Moment

Walking in friendship and community with others is one of the coolest parts of life, but can also be one of the most challenging. 

Most people, have very few if any long term friendships that have lasted over ten years. There can be several reasons why this is true, but one of the most common reasons is, conflict that is left unresolved or conflict that seems insurmountable to overcome.

Truth is, conflict is just a part of life, a part of any friendship, any relationship. We can’t avoid that, but we can control how we respond to, and approach conflict in our life.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give anyone concerning conflict is when thinking moments, think grace, and approach your relationships with the greater journey in mind.

Here is what I mean by this. When we look at the day by day, the moment by moment, sometimes it’s easy to get fixed on the areas that need growth, and when we are looking every day, it’s tough to see meaningful change. 

I have a bunch of nieces and nephews, and although I don’t see any of them as often as I would like, some of them I only get to see a couple times a year or less. So when I do see them, they look drastically different each time. My kids however, I see every day, and although they too are growing and getting older, I don’t see the change like I do with my nieces and nephews. 

Same goes for change and growth in our friends and community. 

We are meant to extend grace and mercy to each other, and when we take a step back and look at the big picture, it gets easier, and it’s way more effective.

Colossians 3:12,13 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 

We are meant to show all these qualities, but in the midst of it, we should take a step back, and see the growth and change in our community of friendships over time, not just since the last time it bothered us.

Remember, offer grace for the moment, and take a step back to see the bigger picture. You’ll be glad you did!

Daniel Sabo