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Relationship Maintenance
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.”
Matthew 5:23–25
On January 31, 2000, Alaska Airlines Flight 261 took off from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to fly to Seattle, Washington. Tragically the plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean, killing everyone on board. The investigation into the accident revealed that the cause of the crash—a failure in the nut threads that controlled the horizontal stabilizer—could have been easily prevented. But the airline had reduced the frequency of lubrication on the parts and then falsified the maintenance logs to make it look like things had been taken care of when they had not. The results were fatal.
Every relationship we have—whether marriage, parents and children, friends, co-workers, or church members—requires regular maintenance if it is to survive. Most of us know people who were friends for a time, but now do not speak. It is sadly common for family relationships to be so ruptured that members will not even be in the same place. Church splits have become so acrimonious in some places that police had to be called in to keep order between Christian brothers and sisters.
While there are many things that can cause damage to a relationship, most of them can be overcome, if not prevented, by taking care of small things before they become major problems. If we are quick both to forgive and to seek forgiveness, if we take our own responsibilities more seriously rather than demanding perfection from others, and if we make the relationship a priority, we will find far fewer crashes.
Matthew 5:23–25
On January 31, 2000, Alaska Airlines Flight 261 took off from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to fly to Seattle, Washington. Tragically the plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean, killing everyone on board. The investigation into the accident revealed that the cause of the crash—a failure in the nut threads that controlled the horizontal stabilizer—could have been easily prevented. But the airline had reduced the frequency of lubrication on the parts and then falsified the maintenance logs to make it look like things had been taken care of when they had not. The results were fatal.
Every relationship we have—whether marriage, parents and children, friends, co-workers, or church members—requires regular maintenance if it is to survive. Most of us know people who were friends for a time, but now do not speak. It is sadly common for family relationships to be so ruptured that members will not even be in the same place. Church splits have become so acrimonious in some places that police had to be called in to keep order between Christian brothers and sisters.
While there are many things that can cause damage to a relationship, most of them can be overcome, if not prevented, by taking care of small things before they become major problems. If we are quick both to forgive and to seek forgiveness, if we take our own responsibilities more seriously rather than demanding perfection from others, and if we make the relationship a priority, we will find far fewer crashes.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Every relationship requires grace and forgiveness in order to remain strong.
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