Over the years, I have noticed some of my relationships would grow cool and distant for no apparent reason. In several of these situations, I heard that people who I assumed were friends or at least associates with shared interests were saying things behind my back that caused others to lose trust or respect for me. I am not alone. We all get nailed with this painful reality at some point in the course of a lifetime. In church circles, it is not always so out front or visibly vicious. It can happen with a carefully crafted comment that contains just enough sincerity to sound spiritual but in the end, it creates suspicion and eventually division. 

We will all rub people the wrong way at some point. I am sure in this season of life I am currently rubbing someone raw. This can happen when we don’ live up to their expectations or when we think differently on a subject that should still be open for reasonable conversation.

Over the years, when these situations come to mind, I realize I have been given a unique opportunity. My opportunity is a choice I have made for each of these painful circumstances. When these offended individuals come to mind, I make a choice to thwart the plans of hell by praying for them and blessing them, no matter who they are or how displeasing their actions might be.

I can imagine demons finally giving up at some point frustrated that their well-crafted imaginations were not picked up and followed into a dark place. This way of repurposing our thoughts makes life a lot more peaceful and it goes a long way in keeping our stomachs free from ulcers and our hearts tender, ready to extend grace and mercy to our most hardened critics. It also opens the door for the possibility of restoration of relationships that should never have gone south in the first place.