Relationships and Sin

Hey Brothers and Sisters,

So great to be here with you today, where ever you are, I hope you are blessed today and have a wonderful rest of your week/weekend. I’ve had a rough last couple of days, if you don’t mind I’d like to share. You see, there are stressed relationships in my life, and this week, the weight of one relationship in particular kind of got me down. Let me just explain a bit more.

A few months ago I got into a fight with a co-worker. I mean, your probably wondering why I would do that, right? Well, as I’m sure that may seem normal enough, because I’m sure we all have strained relationships in our lives. Not only did I get into a fight with co-worker, but I actually allowed my self to blow up at this person. I mean, friends, I yelled at her. Not in closed doors, as if that’s any better. Worse yet, it was in front of a students parent, a few other students, and another co-worker.

After the skirmish was over and I was back in my classroom trying to breathe it out quite shaken actually, I began to feel quite convicted about my inappropriate actions. I mean, I am the manager of the teachers at my school. This was, as I knew, highly inappropriate, irregardless of what she said and how she treated me. So, I had to do what I knew God was calling me to do. Apologize. Have you ever had to apologize when a wound was still fresh? It’s hard. It’s more than hard, down right hurtful. I had to suck up my pride though, so I called her into my classroom after school and apologized for the unacceptable display of anger that I had. I asked for forgiveness, and prayed that she would receive it.  She seemed to understand, and apologized as well for what she said to me, and we went on our way.

The problem is, sometimes our sin has a way of infecting other areas of our life that we never even realized or intended.

Speed forward to last week where we started a new semester, with new classes. I have a class of students that I had last semester as well. I was informing them we would be together again, and the groaning and complaining I heard, well, it didn’t bother me; except for one student.  She was my favorite student. The smartest and brightest student I have. I try and go out of my way to take care of her, offer her help because she does her work more than any other student and really wants to excel. And here she was, groaning along with all the other students. I couldn’t imagine why. Well, I talked to one of the staff, and it seems, low and behold, she had seen my ridiculous display of anger towards the other teacher that one day, many months ago.

She told her mom that the only thing she could see when she saw me, was not my care for her, not my extra help, not my joy in how well she did, but through all of that, she just saw my angry, scary face. My sin, far more reaching than I had ever expected it to go. An adult mistake, which was now negatively effecting all the headway I thought I was making as a teacher. I have to be honest, I felt pretty crushed. I still feel pretty crushed. I may have really wrecked what I hoped to be a highly influential relationship with this student.

Friends, has your sin ever effected you in this way? Whether it be a business partner, a friend, a family member, a student, a teacher, or maybe even a stranger?

I am thankful though. God reminds us in his word,

Lamentations 3:22-24

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

I have hope, and so do you. Whatever sin got away from you; and they all do. Whatever relationships have been torn, there is hope. Gods word reminds us that there is hope in all our mistakes and mis-dealings with others. So, if you’re like me, and really messed it up this week with someone, anyone, breathe, and ask for forgiveness, because the steadfast love of the lord is never ceasing. His mercies are new every morning. That means, this morning, I start again. I pray that you can too. It may take a little time, and they may never forgive you, but God has given you a brand new start, a blessed new morning!

Love you all, have a blessed weekend!

Aaron