Grace, a participant in one of our cohorts, shared the following story:

Recently, when my sister was visiting me, we had an argument. She said, “I’m the only one working on this relationship and you keep throwing bricks at me!” I cannot remember what we had argued about. I also cannot remember what Liz meant by the word “working.” As I thought about her comment, I realized it wasn’t true. I had worked on the relationship, too—perhaps in a different way. Neither Liz nor I like cooking. However, I had made three separate dishes and stored them in the fridge before she had arrived to make sure we would have meals to eat. I don’t think she even looked in the fridge before she left.

I longed to bring this to Liz’s attention and justify myself. Yes, unfortunately, my key motivation was to justify myself to my sister. However, as I was sleeping that night the distinct thought came to me, “Don’t bring up this issue with Liz. Just bury it.” After I awoke, I felt bad that we had parted on a negative note. I waited until I knew Liz would be awake and then phoned her. We had a friendly and peaceful conversation instead of the strife that would have occurred had I brought up the argument again. I’m convinced the Lord spoke to me in my sleep. As a result, Liz and I enjoyed peace in our relationship. This is in accord with Romans 12:18 which says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
—Grace

Photo by Bryce Carithers