小時候，我的表兄弟姐妹就住在離我家大約3公里的地方，但他們被禁止跟我們家來往。他們從不參加家族聚會，就算在鎮上的雜貨店碰面，也從不和我們交談。這是因為那時我們沒有去教會，而他們的父母擔心我們會帶給他們一些不良的影響。但多年後，有位表哥竟然來參加我大哥的葬禮，這簡直令人難以置信！他向我們逐一問候，謙卑地為當年的態度道歉，而我們與他的關係也開始逐漸恢復。

舊約人物雅各也需要一顆謙卑的心，才能與他的雙胞胎哥哥以掃和好。身為次子的雅各曾用詭計欺騙以掃，不但騙取哥哥長子的名分（創世記25章19-34節），還欺騙年邁的父親，竊取了本屬於長子的祝福（26章34節-27章40節）。以掃怒不可遏，揚言要殺了雅各，雅各只好逃到外地避難。

多年後，雅各渴望返回家鄉，但他擔心與哥哥以掃之間的深仇大恨無法化解，甚至會引發流血衝突（32章6-8節）。當他終於和以掃相見時，雅各謙卑地「一連七次俯伏在地才就近他哥哥」（33章3節）。他原本害怕以掃會殺了他，但沒想到以掃卻跑來「抱住」他（4節）。

無論是我們傷害別人，還是被別人傷害，要修復破裂的關係都需要謙卑與坦誠，而且往往還要付出許多努力。然而，上帝能夠且願意幫助我們！

My cousins, who lived only two miles away when we were growing up, weren’t allowed to interact with my family. They never came to reunions or talked to us at the local grocery store. Their parents said it was because, back then, we didn’t attend church and we’d be a bad influence on them. What a surprise when many years later, a cousin attended my eldest brother’s funeral! He approached us one by one and humbly apologized for their attitude. Our relationship with him began to be restored. 

Jacob needed a humble heart to seek restoration with his twin brother, Esau. Jacob, the second born, had connived against Esau: He stole his brother’s birthright (Genesis 25:19-34) and deceived his elderly father into giving him the firstborn’s blessing (26:34–27:40). Furious, Esau threatened to kill him, so Jacob had run to another country.

Years later, Jacob wanted to return home but was afraid the deep division between him and his brother wouldn’t be resolved without bloodshed (32:6-8). When he and Esau finally met, he humbly “bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother” (33:3). He feared Esau would kill him, but instead Esau came running “and embraced him” (v. 4).

Whether we’ve harmed another or have been harmed, it takes humility, openness, and often much work to heal the brokenness. But God can and will help us.