The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Psalm 34:18 (NLT)

Have you ever been in a situation where helping someone else caused physical, mental, relational or spiritual problems in your own life? I would venture to say we have all had this experience at one time or so another.

Over the last 25 years or so, I have strived to adhere to the Biblical method of handling disputes & habitual sin that is found in Matthew 18:15-18

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector – Matthew 18:15-17 (NIV)

Recently, my husband & I had to end a 20 year friendship with another couple. In order to preserve their privacy & avoid being a gossip, I will not be sharing the specifics at this time. Suffice it to say, we have met with them in a group, individually & as a couple concerning their issues. The goal was always to guide them to a healthy, God-honoring marriage. It saddens me that it had to come to this, but I could not allow someone else’s problems to contine to monopolize so much of my time & energy. We pray that at some point our families will be together again. I know that God can bring healing to their relationship. However, I do not have the same confidence in them to doing their part. 🙁

Will you join me in praying for their family to put their trust in Jesus in ALL areas of their lives?