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Finding sweet closure
We hear a lot about closure in our society, and it seems natural to want to make a clean break after one experience in life before moving on to the next. But especially where relationships are concerned, the break isn’t always as clean as one might hope, and it can be difficult to move past a situation that has not been “officially” resolved.
A number of years ago, I learned a lesson about closure that has served me well. Feelings of frustration and anger plagued me after a gulf emerged between a dear friend and me. Suddenly this friendship turned awkward and uncomfortable, and there was little I could do about it. A few months passed, and I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and take action. I wanted to write my friend a letter explaining how hurt I was, and how I deserved the decency of being spoken to instead of ignored. In my mind, this letter would be a good way to provide closure.
However, I could not get myself to write the letter. It seemed justified, yet there was something holding me back. In a state of confusion and needing guidance, I grabbed my Bible off the shelf and randomly opened to a passage in the book of Ezekiel: “All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him” (18:22). I was floored! Wasn’t this exactly what I wanted to do? Explain how my friend had wronged me? I saw that through this Bible verse, God was telling me not to write this letter, but I could not understand why.
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