In Front of the Mirror

In the year of refocus,

I am spending time trying to put myself in others' situations.

I am trying to work more on grace and gracious living.

I am trying to give room for my own growth and for the growth of others.

I desire grace and forgiveness and want to give that to others as well.
Verses in the Bible on longsuffering jump off the page
and supplemental reading on acts of grace and open door living continue to drive home the point.

God continues to put reflections of myself before me in the form of others.
God is showing me that 

broken people hurt others.

I have hurt others in my own pain;

and I have been hurt by others 

and now see that much of it was because they were broken.
Grace demands the second chance.

Sometimes people can be helped,

sometimes they can't.

I have abandoned many relationships prematurely.

I was tired.

It was work.
The hurt caused seemed too great.

I didn't want to acknowledge any fault on my part.

It is humbling to admit brokenness and weakness.

Only in humility can broken people be helped.

God has also shown me that not every relationship can be saved.
There is a time to distance one's self.

If there is always an excuse,

if the fault is always in someone else,

the cycle of pain and brokenness will continue.
There are people who use for self-gain
and then cut off when crossed or when there is nothing more to gain.

There will not be healing until there is an acknowledgment of a need for change.

It is hard to know when.

Remember yesterday's post?

I need Thee every hour.

I need His help in my life ...

concerning my actions and responses

and concerning my relationships.