Daily Devotional for September 5, 2022
Do-It-Yourself Project
Alayna placed two fluffy pillows on a chair and turned to survey her bedroom.
“It was so much fun fixing up this room!” she said. “The curtains and quilt we made are so pretty, and they look so good with the new paint. Even my old furniture looks nice since we refinished it. I’m glad we decided to save money by doing it ourselves instead of buying all new stuff.”
“Do-it-yourself jobs are hard work, but it’s so satisfying to see what you’ve accomplished, isn’t it?” said Mom as she looked around the room. “Why don’t you call Victoria and invite her to come over? I’m sure she’d enjoy seeing your room.”
“She wouldn’t come,” said Alayna. “We’re not speaking to each other.”
“You aren’t?” Mom raised her eyebrows. “What happened?”
“She got mad because I didn’t sit with her at lunch yesterday. I would have, but Lily asked me to eat with her. Victoria said that was mean of me, and now she won’t talk to me!” Tears filled Alayna’s eyes. “I even prayed about it. I asked God to make her apologize to me, but she hasn’t.”
“Maybe God wants you to apologize to Victoria,” Mom said.
“I didn’t do anything wrong!” Alayna exclaimed.
“Are you sure? Why didn’t you ask Victoria to join you and Lily? She probably thought you didn’t want to eat with her, and that hurt her feelings.” Mom paused. “We often want God to take care of our problems when there’s something He expects us to do for ourselves. One thing He wants us to do is to go to the person we have a problem with and try to work it out—even if it’s not our fault.”
“But it’s so hard to do!” said Alayna.
“I know,” said Mom. “Settling differences with someone is a hard do-it-yourself job, but the results are worth the effort. And you won’t really be doing it by yourself—Jesus will be with you. Remember that He has love and compassion for both you and Victoria as you try to see things from her perspective.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to her,” Alayna said.
A little later, Victoria came over to see Alayna’s room. Mom smiled when she heard Alayna say, “Do-it-yourself jobs are hard, but they’re worth it.”
-Barbara J. Westberg
How about you?
Are you not getting along with someone? God says you should go to that person—even if the problem isn’t your fault—and do what you can to renew your friendship. Go humbly, recognizing that fault often lies on both sides. Be willing to apologize for your part in the disagreement. Remember that Jesus loves that person, just like He loves you, and try to see things from their angle. It’s not easy, but it’s worth the effort.
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