Devotion for the Week of November 5, 2007

One of my friends, a father of twin girls, told me about an incident when they were eight years old. The two sisters spent the day fighting. That evening they prepared for bed, still mad at each other. As usual, they knelt by the side of their beds for their prayers. "Dear God," one of them began, "Bless Daddy and Mommy, bless Grandma and Grandpa, bless our cat and our dog." Then she stopped. My friend gently prodded, "Didn't you forget somebody?" She glared across the bed at her twin sister and added, "And, oh yes, God, bless my ex-sister."

Sometimes we wish it were that easy, don't we? But our brothers and sisters don't become `ex's' just because we are angry. We were created for relationship. Broken relationships tear at the very reason behind our existence. Jesus wants us to resolve our differences for the stake of our spiritual health.

We need to understand that unresolved anger is a spiritual issue. There is a sense of urgency in Jesus' words. When relationships are strained, whether it's our fault or not, we are to go at once and try our best to reconcile.

So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.
(Matthew 5:23-24)