Good News Tucson - A Family Values Publication

Keep Hope Alive by Roy Tullgren III

Broken Relationships Need To Be Reconciled

Walking through our doors every day at Gospel Rescue Mission are men and women with few possessions... little hope... hurt... and crushed from life. Many of them have turned to alcohol or drugs to escape the pain, to seek some pleasure, and to forget the past.

Each has his or her own story to tell, although they are different stories. However, a common denominator runs between them all... broken relationships.

As Christians, we know that it was a broken relationship that caused us to be separated from God in the first place... a result of sin. However, God didn’t want us to be separated from Him, so He sent His son, Jesus, to die for those sins in order that we might be reconciled in our relationship with God. Romans 5:10-11, “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (read also II Corinthians 5:18-21).

Broken relationships are what separate us from each other as well... parent from child... husband from wife... neighbor from neighbor. However, it is God’s desire that we also be reconciled to each other. Matthew 5:23-24, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

I imagine that you too have had or currently have some broken relationships in your life. Broken relationships may result in uneasiness being around a person or a total break between the people... to consequences as devastating as hatred, violence, or murder.

Unfortunately, some relationships don’t get reconciled until a person is “on their death bed”. How sad... the time wasted. Others may never get reconciled.

It is God’s desire that relationships be reconciled. Above all, we are instructed in God’s Word to love one another. Through love... we can experience forgiveness... and through forgiveness… we can become reconciled. I know it may not be easy. There are often deep hurts that need healing. But healing can’t come without experiencing God’s love and forgiveness and then reaching out to others with love and forgiveness... as God has done with you.

Men, women, and children who arrive at Gospel Rescue Mission come with a number of broken relationships. First, we tell them how much God loves them and wants a personal relationship with them. Once they receive and experience His deep love and forgiveness in their life, they usually desire to experience this same love, forgiveness, healing and reconciliation with others.

It is exciting and rewarding to watch the men and women in our Mission recovery programs become not just reconciled, but often reunited and restored with family members... many whom they haven’t seen in years!

You too can experience the same victory in your life by 1) reconciling your relationship with God and 2) reconciling your broken relationships with others. I encourage you to do so... starting today.

Roy E. Tullgren III serves as Director for Gospel Rescue Mission. Find out how you can get involved and make a difference by calling 740-1501.