Devotion

Reconciliation is not forgetting what happened. It is not pretending the hurt did not occur. Reconciliation is the work of bringing two people back into relationship despite what has broken between them. This is why it is paired with forgiveness—you cannot reconcile without forgiving, but you can forgive without reconciling (if the other person refuses). The call is to be willing to reconcile, to work toward restoration, to let love be the binding force. This is extraordinarily difficult work, which is why it requires supernatural grace. But it is also the most healing work available to us. Where reconciliation happens, wounds begin to close.