This week's newsletter from Karen

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 5:23-24

Try this with your family at home: Hold hands and form a circle. Have each family member put their right hand in toward the center of the circle. Then, one by one, have each person take their left hand and grab the right hand of another family member. Now try to “untie the knot” without letting go to get back to your original circle.

Just like the hand “knot,” many times our relationships with others can become twisted and tangled. Before we offer gifts to God, He wants us to reconcile those twisted and tangled relationships with our friends and family members. To reconcile means “to make friendly again.” Is there a relationship you have with someone this holiday season that could be described as “not friendly” that you know needs to be reconciled? What can you do to make that relationship better before Christmas?

My prayer is that we all are given opportunities to be reconciled to those we are “unfriendly” with.