Day 87: Joshua 20-22; Luke 6:1-26

I'll never forget someone judging the motives according to his perception of a group of Christians of which I am a part, then lecturing us about how shameful it was that we were insincere and even hypocritical. We should seek reconciliation. We sat their open-mouthed, not knowing what to say. He did not know us. He did not know our hearts. He had not participated in our activities, but with rare exception. It stung!

Can you imagine what the two-and-a-half tribes must have felt when their own family came against them with the intention to destroy them? Word had gotten back to the rest of Israel that an altar had been built (Joshua 22:11-12). The report was accurate. The assumptions were way off. Their motives had been judged by their own brothers and the worst had been assumed. It was time for war. By grace, someone had the idea to go find out what was going on. So much could be resolved if we would just talk to each other when words or actions are not understood and leave us with questions. What Israel thought was an act of rebellion, was truly an act of solidarity. What they assumed was an affront to God, was actually an act of surrender...a witness that 'the LORD is God' (Joshua 22:34). Knowing someone's heart, asking questions and listening with an open mind, these can resolve many a conflict. The end result could be like Israel's...the praise of God and the celebration of the solidarity of 'family.'