"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
About two and a half years ago, I was drawn into a family dispute with someone I love deeply. Another relative and myself were staying with this person, but he was so upset and "offended," we were asked to leave. Since that time, I had tried unsuccessfully to contact the person by email and note, but to no avail. However, when I prayed and thought of him, I could only think of the love I felt for him and the expectation of reconciliation.
Recently, as I was working on some physical challenges, I was awakened one morning by the line from the Bible which says that if your brother has ought against you, you should leave your offering at the altar and reconcile yourself to your brother. I had not been thinking about the situation at all, and wondered if this message was from God. I wondered h
Yow I was going to reconcile anything, as I felt my brother had wronged me and, besides, would not talk to me.
However, I was obedient (after the third morning). I called the person and he answered! He was in a meeting and said he would get back to me. I thought I wouldn’t hear from him again, but true to his word, he called back the next day. When we talked, the words came to me to ask: "What can I do to make things better?"
A conversation ensued which exposed many misunderstandings. I realized that the point was not who was right, but what was true (God's divine love for ALL of us). I answered each point he made with a statement to the effect that I would not knowingly do or say anything to hurt him. He accepted it as an apology (which it was, as I would never deliberately demean or berate anyone). We parted in an atmosphere of great relief and love. Interestingly enough, as I was writing this, I got a loving email response from him to my Easter message to the family.
I learned much from this experience. I learned, for instance, "what cannot God do?" I questioned, Why now? But I had not been able to reach him before this. God “knows the angels that [we] need, and sends them to [our] side," as Hymn 9 says. Also, I had been praying about something else, but this relationship rift was healed. It really showed me that there is one Mind, so "what blesses one, blesses all." I realized that we are not working on one challenge or another, but are really working to draw closer to God. It reminded me of the line in Hymn 144 that reads: "In atmosphere of Love divine, We live, and move, and breathe." I realized further that there was only ONE atmosphere and so anything in it could be healed - and was!