Atonement

I received an unexpected phone call yesterday from a family member who hasn’t communicated in three years; a self-imposed exile I guess.  Our relationship has been tenuous for most of it, but there have also been good times.  I always wonder if it is a good idea to reconnect and yet my instinct is to do just that when an olive branch is extended.When I shared my concerns with my husband he told me to not “second guess” myself.  Later in the evening, I shared again that I hoped I wouldn’t regret opening the door a little wider and he looked at me and asked, “so what other response could you have had?”  Well, I guess that sums it up.  I have been trained and drenched in a faith that whispers forgiveness continuously.  I have been loved by a God who has forgiven and accepted  me countless times and in doing so has commanded that I forgive and accept others.  Does God ever think “I hope I don’t regret this?”  Well, no, but I am not omniscient and omnipresent so cut me some slack!  🙂  I guess my point is that he knows the reasons for all things, and if I say I trust him, which I really do, than I also need to trust myself when I react from my gut because it only means that I have internalized that LOVE through the Word and the Word made flesh.  It only means that my foundation is secure and that should something go in a direction I may not like, I have to believe that there is fruit to be had in the encounter.Ironically, this is Yom Kippur.  The holiest day of the Jewish year.  Although I am not Jewish, the roots of our faith are because Jesus was and God speaks to us through thier faith as well.  God is the unifier.  So today is about atonement and forgiveness and being given one more chance.  It is a good day for me to consider my own part and the people who may not want to open the door wider for me. It is about asking God to forgive me and to give me a more loving and trusting heart.  “You must therefore set no bounds on your love, just as your Heavenly father sets none to his.”