“Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion … accepting one another and forgiving one another. … Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive” (Col. 3:12–13).

Have you been wounded by the local church? Maybe you were ostracized while going through a divorce, or perhaps you were asked to leave because of something that boiled down to poor communication.

Sadly, this phenomenon — the Church rejecting its own — is so common that few veteran believers can say it’s never happened to them. On one hand, it’s inexcusable… but on the other hand, the Body consists of flawed individuals who don’t always “get it right.”

When we’re the casualty in a situation like this, we’re left confused, alone, and wounded in heart. The temptation is to assume that if the brothers and sisters who radiated God’s love, who taught us about Him and led us into His presence, are displeased with us, then the Lord must be mad at us, too.

We might worry that our days as God’s beloved child are over. He’s probably just tolerating us; after all, if He still loved us, this wouldn’t have happened, right?

Wrong. If you’re feeling angry, insecure, and sorrowful because you’ve lost a church family, this is the time to mentally separate the perfect Father from His imperfect children. No matter how “messy” your situation, your communion with Jesus doesn’t have to miss a beat.

Today, don’t allow the accuser to overwhelm you. (Take care not to wallow in self-righteousness and offense, either.) Humbly press into the Lord, and remember that love “does not keep a record of wrongs” (1 Cor. 13:5).