Restored Relationships

Have you ever had a friendship go sour and you wished that you could fix it but didnt know how? You knew you had forgiven and gone on but things just werent the same. Maybe you just figured that time would heal all things but, it didnt. Or maybe you just came to accept the fact that restoration with some people is not always possible. You pray for that person like the bible says you should and even flash them a Christian smile every now and then but to no avail. I have probably felt that way for a while now and lodged deep in the back of my mind were these burning questions. I'm not perfect and the Lord knows I have made more than my share of mistakes. I'm not an awful hateful person, at least I don't feel as though I am but, as time goes by people hurt you and you hurt people. It's a fact of life even if you dont mean to cause turmoil it comes up on occasion. As I have grown and matured in God I have desired for all those relationships that I felt had been damaged to be completely restored. I didnt just want to be OK with some people, I didnt wanted to just be more than OK, I wanted to be great. It dawned on me the other day that God HAD heard my insignificant and desperate prayer. Of course this took effort on my part, but the Lord supplied the opportunities. Slowly one by one things began to change. A smile turns into a greeting, a greeting into a conversation about mundane things, then finally something deeper takes turn in the conversation. I feel like I am closer to some people than I ever have been before. These relationships mean more to me now and have been such a blessing. It's surprising sometimes to see that when you reach out there seems to always be someone on the other side reaching back. Friends and family enrich our lives and are not to be taken for granted. Now I feel such a peace and thankfulness that things are the way they ought to be. Oh dont get me wrong for some things are not perfect but at least they are on the road to possibly being perfect. Glory be to God!