Let's don't shoot our wounded

The wise woman builds her house,
but with her own hands the foolish
one tears hers down...Proverbs 14:1


That is one of my favorite verses....Some of us have had times in our lives when we were foolish and tore our houses down with our own hands. Brick by brick we took our families apart using a chisel called sin to break the mortar from each brick. Each time we used our sin chisel, a heart was hurt. Some of us were blessed to have the opportunity to rebuild using the mortar called grace to gently and lovingly place each brick back in place. They weren't perfect, the house had cracks here and there, but eventually things became even better with the furniture of forgiveness placed inside.

Some of us never used the grace mortar and eventually our houses fell, some slowly one brick at a time, some just tumbled down and the people inside had to crawl out pushing the bricks away, bruised and wounded from the experience.

These people were not bad people, in fact they were Christians. When the dust settled from the fall, God, the great builder used what was meant for bad and made a new thing. He forgave and started to rebuild, in a new location.

With both of these houses, there were painful and lifelong consequences...hearts that were broken , children who's lives would change forever, loving parents and siblings disappointed. The shame and stigma that divorce (enter your own sin here) brings, the guilt. Yes, God forgives but He usually doesn't take away the consequences.

A wise mentor of ours said this..."Christians are the only ones who shoot their wounded".....that statement made a huge impact on me. Those of us who have been through difficult life situations have a unique opportunity to gently and lovingly offer a hand to lift those who are in the midst of trouble. None of us are immune from sin, if we were we would not need Jesus. But we do need Him, we all need Him and the love and forgiveness He brings.

Please, if you find yourself with the opportunity, remember all that God has forgiven you, lean down and offer a hand, help restore a fellow sinner. Keep your gun in it's holster!