A Daily Devotion for Monday, October 11

Proverbs 17:9

He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

I had to read a few translations to get a good sense of this passage. The part that jumps out at me is the second part: repeating the matter, gossiping or telling others about it, keeps one from forgiving, and it is the stuff of ruined friendships. I realized I do this sometimes. If I feel I have been truly wronged, I tend to talk about it. I try not to be a gossip, but I would surely tell Tom all about it, or a very close friend. I guess sometimes I feel like I am entitled to complain; after all, I can forgive later, right? The more Christlike way to behave would be to simply let it go. That way, the original relationship/friendship is protected. There is no marinating in feeling wronged, no keeping score. I need to work on this.

Father God, you have again shown me something I need to work on. Forgiving means forgiving. The sooner the better. I will try harder. Amen

Becky, transforming