And we must follow the right process, by going to them individually before sharing the matter with others (kjv” data-reference=”Matt. 18.15–20″>Matt. 18:15–20). If a meeting is going to be especially tense, you may seek counsel from a godly friend or mentor about how to handle yourself, but this is not the same as sharing the problem with multiple people or gossiping about it.
Relationships take time to develop and can be damaged quickly by a careless word or gesture. The healing may take time, but God is faithful and will guide us if we ask. Often, we will have to confess our own faults and show mercy in order to receive it from others and from God (Matt. 5:7; 6:14–15).
The bottom line is to speak and act in love. As Mike explains, “The one who loves most is the one who wins in God’s court.” Similarly, the writer of 1 Peter 4:8 exhorts us to “above all things have unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.”
