Dear Child,

A deep relationship is not the result of a relationship without problems or offenses, but is a relationship which overcomes problems and offenses, and matures because your spiritual muscles are being exercised as you respond to one another.

The working out of problems causes the roots to grow deeper together and your history with the other person grows deeper and less shallow.

You exercise your spiritual muscles by obedience to the Word and the Spirit.

Work out those lessons I am giving you as an opportunity to learn as you fellowship with others.                                                    Thus saith Papa

Prov 27:17  Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

My daughter, Angela, has written a thought on this subject, which I think is very appropriate at this point. Angela writes, ‘ We have gotten to the point in our society where all relationships are disposable ( whether it be personal, work, family, or church ). Whenever a situation arises that we don’t like or doesn’t happen to meet our expectations we choose to “opt out” of the relationship. The consequences of this choice is devastating to our families, churches and communities. We have seemed to have lost the ability or desire to work through problems – confronting wrongs, admitting our own faults, covering each other in love; it appears to take too much energy. It is much easier to close the pages of one relationship and open the new and exciting pages of another one. The saddest result of this situation is the disappearing of depth in our society. When we choose to cut off relationships we also cut off the root of history we developed during the years of that relationship. We are left with shallow and superficial relationships that leave us yearning for a depth of intimacy we never seem able to attain.

Eph 4:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Col 3:13  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Our relationships with each other, are living lessons, “where the rubber meets the road” opportunities to put our words into action. Situations where we may be conformed to His image, that we may not only talk like Jesus but also walk like Jesus.

CHALLENGE: How can we learn to forgive if we never have the opportunity to forgive?

                             How can we be conformed to His Image without learning to forgive?

Excerpt “Developing A Secret History with God” page 102

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