Psalm 23:6, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever. NKJV

This morning when I first looked at Psalm 23:6 I had actually thought about Janessa's IBS from yesterday, for which she felt her application should be to create a list of all the blessings God has given in her life to remember. I couldn't really think of anything else, and although it may seem like copying, I thought perhaps that is what my application would be as well, to remember the goodness and mercy that has followed me throughout my life.

However, in class today Pastor G spoke about 1 Corinthians 13, what love does; that love trusts when one has expectations of a person and those expectations are not met; and Mathew 18, for when expectations are continually not met and you become unable to keep trusting.

If the Lord promises that goodness and mercy will follow me all of my life, then goodness and mercy should be flowing from me as well; and if I dwell in the house of the Lord, then I should trust and follow His instructions.

There is someone back home who has done, and, unless something has changed in the past three months while I have been gone, continues to do, things that harm my relationship with them, cause serious harm to people who are important to the both of us, and draws them, and all of us, away from God.

This has been going on for some time and I did not know how to deal with it, eventually withdrawing from them as the only means I saw of protecting myself and relieving some of their stress that had been building at the time.

I need to first speak with Pastor G more on the general topic and ask His council on how to address this specific issue because of the complexities and complications involved with it; and then pray and fast a great deal asking for God's guidance; and then when I arrive home, as soon as I am able and the situation allows for it, confront this person, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes me feel, both to apologize to them and others for my withdrawal and to, for lack of a better way to say it, "Mathew 18 'em", trusting God to heal our relationship and draw us both closer to Him.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.