Mending Fences

**Photography by Melissa Talbot**

Living on a farm means there is never a lack of work. There are things that need to be done for a variety of reasons. Especially when you or your neighbor has cattle. A sturdy, well-built fence is your only guarantee of keeping a mating bull from a field full of cows. It's nothing for a determined bull to break through a shoddy and decrepit fence line.

Building or mending a fence takes time, strategy, and meticulous attention to detail. From braces to the posts, lining up the right equipment to the fence nails, it can be an all day event as most fence lines can go for miles.

However, there's no greater feeling than when a five wire barbed fence, in perfect alignment, is completed. The sweat, scratches, and pounding of posts for hours, were worth the finished product. The commitment involved in constructing the perfect fence is not for the faint of heart. It's arduous work with little room for error and no recognition from others of the work done.

Yet, if you stick with it, the rewards of following through on something to the end far surpass the hard work it took to get there. The same can be said when we know there is work to be done in a relationship. When there's a fence in need of mending.

Perhaps, it's in seeking forgiveness for something that was said in the heat of the moment. Or, maybe, it's about talking to that sibling again after too many years have passed. So many, in fact, you've forgotten what caused the silence in the first place. Like a fence, mending relationships takes work and commitment. There might even be some sweating involved.

There is a book in the Bible named Matthew. He was a disciple of Jesus and recorded much of what Jesus taught. Matthew makes a point of noting Jesus' thoughts on when we're at odds with each other.

Jesus says, "...go and be reconciled with your brother...Settle matters quickly..." (Matthew 5: 24-25). Whether a friend or family member, Jesus is telling us to waste no time in making things right and mending the fences that are broken. The time and commitment involved will be more than worth it in the end.

Encouragement for the week:

We may all have situations or relationships in our lives that need some careful mending.

That fence you've taken time to repair will be worth it when you see the finished product. Don't give up.

If you are a Christian reading this, you know that God calls us to be peacemakers and to forgive as He has forgiven you. Don't allow anything to stop you from doing what is right.

If you are not a Christian reading this, you can look for Jesus and you will find Him. A relationship with Him will enable you to mend the broken fences in your life.