Read – The 4 Stages of Reconciliation

As Christians, we have a ministry of reconciliation that imitates Christ’s reconciliation for us. In <2 Corinthians 5:17 and 18 – we become new people in Christ; as a result of becoming a new creation, we are given the ministry of reconciliation which allows us to be reconcilers.

Being able to reconcile is something that is much needed in our culture for to reconcile is to restore harmony and cohesiveness; to be able to coexist. In our broader culture, we are bombarded with schism and friction, there is racial inequity and animosity. The climate is ripe for retaliation. This is not the recipe for reconciliation.
  1. Realization – An awareness that there is a grievance. An acknowledgment that there is a problem.
  2. Identification – Empathizing and understanding the aggrieved.
  3. Preparation – What are you prepared to do to reconcile? Are you prepared to go the distance towards reconciliation?
  4. Activation – The action(s) that are necessary for change. Putting in the effort and the work to make the change

These steps were identified as steps for racial reconciliation as it relates to institutions, but they are applicable for reconciliation in general.

Hard things are hard and reconciliation of any sort is hard. As reconcilers, we are imitating Christ – which means we’ll get close to perfect but we’re going to fail. In our own strength, we can’t remove the barriers. We will get tired of fighting the good fight. We will be traumatized by all that we see happening around us.

But before we deal with society, let’s start with our homes and our relationships. Let’s be reconciled with each other.  Then let’s spread it to our communities until we are impacting the world. Oftentimes when there is a need for reconciliation there is a perception that one side is right and therefore the other side is wrong. Reconciliation says – we’re both right; now where do we go from here. The purpose of reconciliation is to bring others to Christ. By being a vessel of reconciliation, others will see something different in us and want what we have. 

As believers, each one of us can allow Christ’s spirit within us to give us the power to be reconcilers. It’s like a tree with concentric circles – our ministry impacts those closest to us and spreads to have a broad impact.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation…. 2 Corinthians 5:17, 18 [KJV]

When there is a breach, how do you reconcile? Do you use any of the steps above? Are you trying to affect change in society?