The Risky Business Of Reconciliation

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Matthew 5:9

Novelist John Grisham recalled a conversation with a friend who died of cancer at the age of twenty-five. When told of the diagnosis, Grisham asked, “What do you do when you are about to die?” The sick man replied, “You get right with God, spend time with those you love, and settle up with everybody else.” Then he said, “Really, you ought to live every day like you have only a few more days to live.”

It’s one thing to “settle up” with others when facing death. But for most people, living with the possibility of rejection is a formidable burden to consider carrying the rest of their lives. Reconciliation is a risky business. Where there has been a rift in a relationship, there are no guarantees as to how the other party might respond to your efforts; that person might still be angry, hurt, and nonresponsive. On the other hand, that person may embrace you fully and the relationship may be restored.

The only way the distance between two people can be bridged is by someone taking the first step. If needed, be a peacemaker and close the gap between yourself and another.

Reconciliation is a form of investing in the future. The greater the risk, the greater the reward.