Reconcile:

• Restore friendly relations between
• Cause to coexist in harmony; compatible
• Make consistent with another
• Settle a disagreement
• Make someone accept

I believe we are called to be reconcilers.  I believe we are called as human beings to live in community, to show grace, to love hard, and to reconcile wrongs.

This past week I have sat on the word reconcile and have allowed the meanings of to seep into how I show myself grace, how I show others grace, and how I firmly believe that in our society today we need people willing to be reconcilers, willing to be counter-culture.

I think reconcilers are not just active in doing so with those around them but within themselves as well.  When trauma hits, I think you have to learn to reconcile the effects of that trauma with who you are. You will change and sometimes in very fundamental ways.  Trauma manifests itself in countless ways within each individual and how that manifests itself in a person is not controllable; however, how we react and how we reconcile those impacts into who we are as a human being are important.  We live in a broken, hurting world.  Hurt people, hurt people.  But what if we all learned to take a step back and reconcile trauma within ourselves?  Maybe that looks like therapy, maybe that looks like having a vulnerable conversation with a trusted friend, or maybe, just maybe, that is learning to be okay with being alone with ourselves.

Similarly, we are called to be reconciled with those around us, especially those close to us. How easy is it to be mad and just cut people out?  How easy is it to put on a mask, to give shorter answers, to only give a few details of who we are to someone?  We are relational beings, who want to be known and understood.  That cannot be done without reconciliation.  It is okay to disagree, it is okay to have a fight, but it is not okay to leave it at that.  Mental health is something that our culture is going to have to start discussing and have to take seriously- but I think that starts with being reconcilers.