
Be kind to one another, tender hearted, compassionate, understanding, loving hearted, forgiving each other as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:33
Comment
Being fluent in the language of forgiveness is essential in marriage. Living in close proximity means we have to be humble with each other. We have to be able to say “What I did was wrong please forgive me.”
There was a story in the news a while back about a woman who died after child birth? The hospital concealed the truth from her husband about why she died for three and a half years. They did not want to admit they had made a mistake in the treatment in case they were sued.
We can be stubborn too; insisting we are right! But then we block the forgiveness process and block our relationship too. Nicky Lee of The Marriage Course uses the illustration of a blocked drain! It takes courage to get down into the drain with the ‘rods’ and clear the ‘back up’. Once it’s cleared, it’s amazing how smoothly everything works again.
Take courage! Learn to use the magic words “I was wrong.” Use them in your marriage.
Prayer (as a couple)
Father God, help us to be humble, admit our faults to you and to each other. Help us to learn to love each other in depth through forgiveness. Please forgive us for holding on to anger and grievances. We pray for your healing in our relationship where we have hurt each other. Give us courage to deal with any issues we have avoided. Amen
Prayer (for others)
We pray for ___ and ___ Please help them face up to issues they have been avoiding . Help them to admit where they have been wrong and to speak loving words of forgiveness. Please give them your hope for the future. Amen
Final Quote
Confess your faults to one another.