Recently, I have been spending more time with the younger youth at our church. Not because I was told to, but because I realized they needed a lot of guidance since there was some bullying going on. In the past, I was bullied at church and almost left because of it. I know what it’s like to be picked on and I know how much it can hurt some one’s feelings.

Although I was there to keep the peace, I realized that the more time I spent with the kids, the more shameful I was. As I watched them try to resolve issues and see how forgiving they were, I looked at myself and thought about how I resolved my own issues with others. Did I do what I told the children to do? Sometimes. Was I as forgiving of others as they were? No, not really.

When I reflected upon myself, I felt a deep burning in my heart because of shame. The kids showed no lingering anger or bitterness. Once the situation was resolved, they were able to play with each other again. There was no awkwardness and they completely forgot about how they were just in tears a few minutes ago. This may just be how their brains are built at this age, so I decided to talk to some of them one on one when I had the chance. I asked them how they felt and why they forgave the bully so easily. To my surprise, all of their answers were because of love. Although they are so young, they seem to know about love better than I do.

From this, I was extremely humbled. Sometimes our pride gets in the way so we won’t say sorry first. Sometimes we’re too stubborn to let go of a grudge we have against someone. And sometimes we are too angry that we overlook the good times we had with that person. Whatever it may be, the relationships we have with others are reflective of our relationship with God. If we have a good relationship with God, we will have good relationships with others because we have God’s love dwelling within our hearts. If not, it is easy for our hearts to be filled with discontent, anger, stubbornness, and negativity. The only way to get rid of these is to draw near to God and fill our hearts with His abundant love.

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.” (Col 3:12-14)

Questions for Reflection
1. How is your relationship with God? Explain.
2. Do you feel God’s love in your heart? Why or why not?