I hate this new packaging, don’t you? First of all, it’s embarrassing when a grown man can’t open a package of potato chips. So you finally give it a hard yank and play “pick up chips.” Now you have the next problem - you’ve ripped the bag too far to be able to reseal it! Do you 1) eat the whole bag? 2) find another container to store the uneaten chips? Or 3) let the chips get stale in a partially-sealed bag?

Have you ever “ripped too hard” in a life situation? Your child does something that aggravates you and you jump down their throat? Your husband (wife) spends [what you consider to be] too much money on something you consider unnecessary? Overkill. Unnecessary harshness.

What do you do when you’ve “ripped too hard?” Do you 1) Allow your pride to make you “keep ripping” (”That’s my story and I’m sticking to It!”) 2) Walk away and ignore it, letting the hurt remain, or 3) Apologize and heal the hurt you’ve caused?

Life really is short. Relationships really are important. Relationships die when they’re ripped too often. People die and it can become too late to apologize. And it’s easy to rip too hard.

Listen to some of the qualities God is working to form in us: “… peace… longsuffering… gentleness… meekness….” These keep us from ripping too hard!

Maybe you WERE right… or maybe you just thought you were. Remember the Pharisees who brought the adulterous woman to Jesus? Weren’t they “right”? But they “ripped too hard”. Learn from how Jesus handled the woman. And let’s put what we learn into our life.

- Ken Stegall-