I wrapped up a series with the students last night that I called 30 Days to Live, based on the book 1 Month to Live, by Chris & Kerry Shook (great read by the way). Last night we focused on "Fighting for Peace" in our relationships. The main focus was that life is too short to live with broken relationships, bitterness or relational pain.
God has divinely wired us to long for relationships. It was part of His creative design in forming us in His image. God exists in relationship, created us for relationships with each other and longs to have the broken relationship with all of us (humanity) restored through His Son. Yet relationships are difficult, messy and just plain hard!
After I finished last night, I could sense that God had really done a work and communicated His message to the hearts present. The relational pain was even evident on some faces in the room. I was encouraged when I was able to field some good questions and hear some of our students' stories on Facebook last night. It seems that there is no such "innocence of youth" when it comes to broken, strained or even dysfunctional relationships. It affects all of us. No one is exempt. Life in a fallen world.
Yet what often causes us the most pain, God challenges us to push into in even greater depth and to actually fight for peace, reconciliation and to love deeply. We're called to be people that are irrational forgivers - to forgive when we are hurt and wounded in the fashion of Christ calling out on the cross "Father, forgive the very ones who put me here. Forgive the ones who have caused me so much pain."
My heart's desire is that God would impress on my heart exactly what David prayed in Psalm 93: "LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath."
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