Longeryanger Imchen
Of late, the word 'Reconciliation' has become the watchword of our times, but what actually reconciliation means? Or who needs to reconcile with whom? These are certain thoughts we need to reckon with.
It is true that to reconcile means to reunite with those who are estranged by forgiving and removing the enmity by forming into relationship of friendship. But then to forgive those evildoers or wrongdoers for social acceptance without admitting the sin that offend God and men is a mortal danger to reconciliation and even to life on earth.
Let me say that i don't have any feeling of contempt towards FNR, but why we are failing again and again into the evil pit of violence, hatred, killings, condemnation inspite of our best effort to restore peace and reconciliation? I think this is because many Naga National workers have yet to reconcile with God. Naga desire for peace and reconciliation is crucial because Nagaland cannot become a reconciled state unless we first reconciled with God.
In the book of psalms, it says unless the lord builds the house, the labour in vain who built it, unless the Lord guard the city the watchman stay awake in vain. Therefore unless God on our side in the efforts of making reconciliation, all of our efforts are going to be in vain.
For too many years, Naga have suffered from division, hatred, killings, jealousy, and to reconcile among ourselves we need to reconcile with God, because we have committed sins thereby weaken the relationship with God. God created us not in isolation, but in togetherness, we are all God's disciples brothers and sisters. God never sanctioned to live our life in division. I wonder how painful God must have been experiencing this division among His Disciples.
Reconciliation does not mean justifying the offensive actions, or accepting it as right nor the absence of violence, but it is the return of God's glory-the restoration of God's needed favour i.e. reconciliation with God.
Reconciliation cost the death of His son (Rom:5.10-11).It is through Christ that we reconciled with God. The atonement of the Christ on the cross was the payment for our sins. And thus teaching us that reconciliation in human to human relationship must also begin this way.
If reconciliation is to be achieved, we need to repent our sins and to forgive one another as he forgive us, to understand others as he understand us, to compassion on others as he show and reconcile with one another as he reconcile himself through his Son. Tell the truth about the past and being honest what you are saying. Then only can reconciliation become a true meaning.
