Unity Through Love

1 Peter 3:8-12
8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters.[a] Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. 10 For the Scriptures say,
“If you want to enjoy life
    and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
    and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good.
    Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
    and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face
    against those who do evil.”[b]

To be completely honest, this one has been difficult for me over the past several days.  I work very hard to be a person who forgives, to be a person to continually turn the other cheek.  I have seen what prayer does to a relationship that looks tattered beyond repair.  Prayer for the person, prayer of blessing, prayer of healing, prayer of life.  It changes things, and bringing them into it most regularly changes the atmosphere and brings healing that only God can provide.

There are those few moments that everything seems to cut to the deepest parts of you.  That person that you have worked so hard to stand in the gap for, that person that you continue to pray for and check in on.  That person who shows no regard personally for you, that person who can only see your flaws and imperfections. That person who does not value you or what you bring to the table.  That moment when your defenses are at their lowest and the flaming arrows land so deeply that you realize that you have begun questioning your own self worth and disappointment sets in for allowing your shield to fall and yourself to be injured.  You reach out for prayer and the first response is Psalm 35 and the second is a prayer reminding you that you are to become love and it's attributes and you are to give it all to God and forgive.  OUCH.

It is easy to get pulled into having the "right" to be hurt, and being justified for having the feelings you are having.  The thing is, THAT is not what we are called to do.  We are not called to justify anything, we are called to show Christ's love, to be tenderhearted and be humble.  We are to bless those who hurt us.  We are called to find peace, and to do what is right and we have faith that He will fight for us. 

My prayer tonight is for our hearts to be pierced with his love and that it would flow through us into all of the spaces and places that we walk into.  That we would humble ourselves and allow God to work in and through us.  That as a body of believers, we would be known for our love and not for how we took offense or allowed ourselves to be rooted in our hurts.  I pray that we would find a way to bless everyone that comes our way each day, regardless of their thoughts or actions towards us.  Lord, help us to walk out your peace and love in our worst moments as well as our best ones.