God heals all wounds...

Growing up, my best friend was Ben. We did everything together. We played army men, had sleepovers, fought Nerf wars, and played in the same band. We were inseparable. I even got to play a part in his baptism, studying with him over two years before he came to faith. As time went on, however, we grew more distant. We went to separate colleges, led separate lives, and began to believe separate things. While I held on to my faith, Ben lost his. Now we simply agree to disagree; he secretly thinks my career is a waste of time, and I think his life is missing something very important. As a result, we rarely talk anymore, and each of us has gone our separate way.

I believe most of us have similar stories at some point in our lives. Each of us has had a friend we were close to, only to grow more distant as time goes along. Sometimes it is a sharp disagreement; other times it is a gradual moving away as our lives and priorities change.

In Acts 15, we have a similar story in the life of Paul. Paul and Barnabas have been friends for many years. In fact, Barnabas is the one who encouraged Paul to enter ministry in Antioch (Acts 11:25-26). They had been friends for years, even going on their first missionary journey together. At the beginning of their second journey, however, everything came unglued. Barnabas wanted to take his cousin, John Mark; Paul had very little trust in him since he had abandoned them on the field. The disagreement was so sharp that they parted company, unable to work together. What we find, however, is that their friendship was renewed over time. Paul mentions Barnabas and his hard work in ministry in 1 Cor. 9:6. Paul also comes to love and value John Mark, even asking for him to come see him in his final days (2 Tim. 4:11).

Often those closest to us can hurt us the most. Careless words, thoughtless comments, hurtful remarks can wound deeply. Sharp disagreements can cause seemingly irreparable rifts. But God can heal broken relationships. God can take a discouraging situation and bring hope and life. There is no wound that cannot be healed. Yes, we have been hurt or hurt one another, but let us bear with one another in love. God can heal all wounds.