Restorative Practices
One Sunday, my Pastor’s sermon was focused on the Beatitudes in chapter 5 of the Book of Matthew. As I listened to them, I realized that the underlying assumption is that there is a relationship. God wants to give me all of the promises in the Beatitudes but I have to maintain a good relationship by restoring it when it is broken. That is when I realized that I take my relationship with God for granted.
I had just lost my Aunt and if I am honest, I felt entitled to God’s comfort instead of seeing it as the wonderful gift that it is. I should be grateful for this gift with my every breath, instead of relying on the fact that He knows my heart. Even so, the only thing that I am entitled to is the wages of my sin, which is death. Truly, I am only saved by Grace.
God does know my heart but I am still responsible for doing my part in keeping our relationship in good standing. My sin grieves Him and moves me away from Him. By not using the tool I have been given to remove my sins, my unfaithfulness shows. He always loves me but I have to keep the relationship good by confessing and repenting of my sins.
In John 1:9 it says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The problem is that I don’t always admit when I do something wrong. That’s a problem because admitting I have done something wrong is the first step to changing behavior God’s way.
After confessing or admitting what I did wrong, that should lead me to repentance. Repentance shows my remorse and helps me to turn away from what I did wrong. Being cleansed and released from what I did or forgiveness is the last step. This step is usually my favorite and sometimes I even believe that I have received forgiveness without asking.
The truth is that I need to do all three…admit, turn away, ask for and receive forgiveness. These are my restorative practices. I am always ready to receive but my relationship needs to be good. When I break it, I must do my part to fix it. That is when He is faithful to forgive me.
Father God, lover of my soul, thank you for giving me a way to make our relationship good. I am grateful that your love is not dependent on me always getting it right. I want what you have for me and I will work on faithfully using my restorative practices. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
