If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend. If he won’t listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won’t listen, tell the church. If he won’t listen to the church, you’ll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God’s forgiving love. Matthew 18:15-17 (MSG)
People will hurt our feelings. They may say things that are hurtful either intentionally or unintentionally. The Bible gives us a process to follow when they do. After determining the issue needs to be addressed, the first step is to talk to the person one-on-one. This will allow the two of you to talk through issues and possibly resolve any misunderstandings on either side. If that doesn’t work, take a few friends with you as witnesses and try to work it out with the goal of restoration of the relationship. Bring in church leaders that are trustworthy to help work through the issue if it cannot be resolved with a few witnesses.
Prayer:
God, thank you for telling us how to restore relationships in our lives. Give me the wisdom to know which hurts need to be worked through. Help me to work through the process to restore broken relationships in my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.