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For 30 years, Christian leader and spiritual adviser Billy Graham has been offering advice to the thousands of readers who share their problems ...
Read more about By Billy Graham, Tribune Media Services.
For 30 years, Christian leader and spiritual adviser Billy Graham has been offering advice to the thousands of readers who share their problems ...
Read more about By Billy Graham, Tribune Media Services.
How Can I Deal With My Estranged Sister's Death?
By Billy Graham, Tribune Media Services
Q: My sister and I had a falling out almost 30 years ago and we never
spoke again. Now, I've learned that she died a few weeks ago, and I
feel terrible that I didn't do anything to heal our relationship. I
don't have a question, but maybe someone will learn from my mistake. -
Mrs. C.D.
A: Thank you for your letter - and you're right: The time to deal with a broken relationship is now, not when it's too late. Not every broken relationship can be healed - but it's far better to attempt it than to be filled with guilt and regret because the opportunity has passed.
Why don't we try to heal a relationship that's been broken? Why do we allow the break to go on and on, without any effort on our part to change it? Sometimes it's because of pride - we don't want to admit we might have been at fault, and we don't want to have to apologize. Or sometimes, I suspect, it's because of fear - fear we'll be rejected, or we fear the other person will simply get angry at us and dredge up the problems of the past. You can probably think of other reasons why it's hard for us to reach out to someone we have hurt - or who has hurt us.
But these shouldn't keep us from trying to bridge the gap. The Bible says, "God has called us to live in peace" (1 Corinthians 7:15). It also says, "Make every effort to live in peace with all men" (Hebrews 12:14). If you need to reach out to others (perhaps members of your sister's family), do so today.
After all, this is what God did for us. We were separated from God because of sin - but Christ came to forgive us and bring us back to God by His death on the cross. Is your trust in Him?
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Send your queries to "My Answer," c/o Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C., 28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM, or visit the Web site for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: www.billygraham.org.
(c)2008 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
This news arrived on: 10/17/2009
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Posted Comments:
10-17-2009 15:46
Joe Kincade wrote:
Deaking with someone who don't want to deal with you
I had a son out of wedlock when i was seventeen years old the age of no responsiblity hisa mother and i talked occasionly he used to call when he was younger he stop that when his wife died at a young age before she died she gave him two children i have never seen them before and him only once he came by the house and got a picture of me and never came back ,a lawyer called and told me he was in the pen for selling drugs i tried to help and he did get out the last money i sent the lawyer wasn't enough and i didn't have anymore so he writes me a letter and tells me if it hadn't been for his stepdaddy he don't know what he would have done that cuts to the core we tried everything to raise a relationship with my grandchildren to no avail so to you don't feel bad but thats impossable,I have no idea what to do
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