Making Amends

Read Proverbs 14

Fools make fun of guilt, but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation.

Proverbs 14:9

The story is told of a deathbed visit paid to Walden author Henry David Thoreau by a Christian aunt. When she inquired if he had made his peace with God, he is reported to have said, “Why, I didn’t know we had ever quarreled.”

This is the mind-set of the skeptic or the cynic—or what Proverbs routinely calls the “fool.” The concepts of guilt and repentance are laughable. The thought of needing to make amends with God or others is a joke.

Contrast this strong-willed arrogance with the response of the godly person. He or she owns up to wrong actions and hurt inflicted. More than that, the upright person seeks to make restitution, to set things right. Reconciliation (literally “good will” with God and people) is his or her primary goal.

This one pithy proverb explains how the humble find favor with God and people and why the proud never will.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Guilt is serious business.

Today, Lord, I want to experience the blessing of right relationships with you and others. Show me what I need to do to make this a reality in my life.