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Tag Archives: abandonment

When You Can’t Force Conflict Resolution

When there is relational conflict, is waiting a copout?

I would say that sometimes it can be, but there comes a point where we have to realize that even if we’re ready to move forward and heal with someone, we can’t force healing and readiness in others.

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I sat across from her pleading with my heart and eyes to offer me a different answer. She could not. She confirmed what I had been hearing from God in my prayer time:

“Wait.”

Me: “I want to, but I can’t offer peace in this situation.”

Person offering me counsel: “Why do you think that is?”

Me: “Because I didn’t take it away in the first place. My actions did not cause any of it. They need to seek peace through and with Christ. Until they surrender that, I cannot offer what they seek, and I don’t want to go ahead of what God wants to do in each person’s heart. Besides, I would only screw it up since I do not have His peace to act on this right now.”

Person offering me counsel: “Then that’s your answer. You’ve prayed. You’ve sought godly counsel. You’ve daily surrendered this. You are so right to not go ahead of the LORD. He cannot be rushed.”

And that settled it in my heart—what, in many ways, I already knew:

#WaitingOnGod in a situation does not equate to abandonment.

— Bonnie Lyn Smith (@BonnieLynSmith) March 14, 2017

While the reassurance came from another Christian, I needed to check myself with God. God would not Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Bonnie Lyn Smith on March 16, 2017 in Drawing Healthy Boundaries, Ministry Moments, Relationship with God

Tags: abandonment, conflict resolution, do not let the sun go down on your anger, Ephesians 4:25-27, godly counsel, going ahead of God, Psalm 109, relational conflict, relational healing, relational repair, relationship conflict, relationships, speak the truth, speak the truth in love, surrender emotion to God, taking anger to God, taking emotion to God, waiting on God, what to do with anger

Where Fear Tries to Tread

03 Nov

Where Fear Tries to Tread My 9 year old Little Man and I were out waiting for the bus, watching Bobo the Smith Lawn Chipmunk scuttling around in our front wooded area. He was eating and storing things in his little cheeks.

Little Man was fascinated for quite some time, but then he
said: “Mom, what if a snake gets him today?”

And isn’t that a sign of how we all mature from our innocence and learn the darker side of the world? When fear creeps in where we used to prance about with untainted optimism?

Don’t we all so quickly “go there” in our minds and hearts? Fear is always crouching. Darkness always wants us to think it wins.

2 Timothy 1:7, ESV, Apostle Paul speaking

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

It’s interesting that the King James Version uses the word “sound mind” instead of “self-control.” It suggests to me we are given the tools in Christ to put our minds where they should be. Our minds don’t have to be tossing about at the whims of our fears. We are given the power and love to keep them sound, safe from the torment of crippling “what ifs.”

What if: