Longing to Belong Chapter 9: Skills for Healthy Storming: Part 2

From Chapter Nine of Longing to Belong

As we attempt to live in harmony with each other within the established boundaries of belonging, there will still be times when we “miss the mark.” Whether by inattention or intention, there are times when our words or our actions offend one another with the potential of harming our life and work together. The Greek word for sin means to stray off the path, to lose our way, to miss the mark—or to fall short of God’s requirements of belonging.

There are times when we inadvertently offend or harm another member of the Body of Christ—even when we do not realize it. And if we are truly honest with ourselves, there are even times when, out of bitterness, rage, or anger, we intentionally harm another.
The nature of sin is our severing the relationships between ourselves and with God. At the very core of our human struggle to belong is our tendency to sever these relationships.

If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
First John 1:8-10 NLT