Robert was incensed at his mechanic.

He had gone in for some repair work and given her the car key before sitting down in the waiting room.  A half hour later, when he asked about the progress, the mechanic said she hadn’t been able to pull the car in because Robert hadn’t given her the key.

Furious, Robert swore he had. And the disagreement went back and forth, escalating when the locksmith came out and furnished a $200 replacement.

Realizing that things could go in a number of directions, Robert chose the difficult road: he would not vent his anger, nor seek revenge, but he would take the road less traveled, take the hit, pay for the mishap, and move on.

Often times, the hardest thing you and I will do today is give in.

This is the difficult work of reconciliation - it’s the cross-carrying, disciple-making, world-changing power of humility and mercy. It’s not codependency, it’s not weakness. On the contrary, working to protect the sanctity of our relationships often comes from a place of divine strength - and is what you and I were put here to do. It is hard. It is painful. It needs to happen more often.

Friends, Jesus gives us the permission, and vocation, to go ahead and quit the worldly ways of vengeance, wrath, and outrage. He modeled it and equips us to follow. In what ways is the Lord calling us today, to make amends by giving in?