RECONCILATION STORY
It was a conversation that has stuck with me over the years. I was not a part of the conversation, per se, but I was a part of the audience that listened. I think that it took place in 1986 but I cannot remember. It was, I remember, a Sunday night at the church where I was serving as a youth pastor.
A woman who had grown up in the church was now, along with her husband and children, returning not just to the church but the Christian faith. They had joined a cult and as they found out more and more about the cult, they realized that it was not true Christianity and began the journey back to the faith.
A retired pastor whose daughter attended our church stood to ask a question. "Did something happen that caused you to leave this church?" I remember the woman’s expression changed and she quietly, almost sheepishly, said, "Yes."
It turns out that a disagreement or misunderstanding with a high school friend (and current church member) had taken place surrounding a wedding. I cannot remember the details but I remember that it had to do with a conflict over who was going to be what, in that particular wedding. Yet whatever it was had caused a good friendship to fracture and a young women (then) had left the church. When this conversation ended, the two friends embraced in our presence and were reconciled.