Nothing tests one’s strength of a heart like broken trust. Finding the strength to forgive feels almost herculean, even for Christians and others who know the value of forgiving and being forgiven. And while forgiveness is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23), bearing that fruit requires courage, humility, and the willingness to lean on God when every ounce of our flesh wants only to hold a grudge. In Tracy Wainwright’s Open Arms (Fruit of the Spirit Book 2), we see a marriage pulled apart by anger, hurtful words, and pride…and then brought back together through humble confession, compassionate listening, and surrender to God’s grace.  Today we’ll explore three steps to mending broken relationships.

• Why forgiveness requires transparency and vulnerability
• How God invites us to extend mercy, even when we feel unworthy
• Practical steps to mending relationship rifts today

Forgiveness requires transparency…

because when we allow silence and shame to govern a Marriage, the entire family suffers. In Open Arms we meet Tom and Claudia, a couple once united in love but driven apart by years of resentment and unresolved conflict. When Claudia demands Tom leave, they face separation, silent hearts, and unspoken regrets. Their children suffer, each parent carries guilt, and church attendance becomes a distant memory.

This scenario rings true in many real-life marriages. We stop talking, building walls of shame around our failures. Pride convinces us that putting space between us and our spouse will fix what’s broken. Forced silence—or even a silence that comes from simply being tired of the status quo—starves the relationship of the grace that comes through honest dialogue.

But God’s design for marriage is unity (Ephesians 5:31–32). When we allow silence to reign, we miss the opportunity to partake in the reconciliatory love that Christ offers.

Forgiveness requires vulnerability…

because it is only through confession and humility can healing be Unlocked. Neither Tom nor Claudia wake up one day eager to beg forgiveness. In fact, both harbour bitterness and self-justification. In their first heart-to-heart, Tom apologizes for his failures, and Claudia admits how her own anger fueled their demise. They share painful confessions, recognizing that each sin they’ve committed against the other yielded deeper wounds than they ever imagined. Before we move on, let’s take a look at the biblical foundation for confession and the positive effect it can have on our souls and emotions.

Biblical foundation for confession: 

• 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us…”
• James 5:16: “Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another…”

When we confess: 

• We strip away the pretense that we are “good enough.” And once we do that, it becomes much easier to relate to others who also are not “good enough.” (Without God’s grace, that is.)
• We invite God’s mercy to flood into our broken places.  And when we invite Him in, He always arrives, on time and without delay, to fix together our brokenness.
• We offer each other the respect of honesty, laying the groundwork for genuine forgiveness.  When we’re transparent enough to admint our shortcomings, the other person can feel comfortable to accept their own, which leads to an atmosphere of amicability. And, what flows from that is a mutual understanding that no one is perfect.

After confession, God calls us to forgive as we have been forgiven (Ephesians 4:32). Tom’s willingness to listen without condemnation modeled for Claudia the humble heart she longed to mirror. She, in turn, can forgive him as she realizes her own share of culpability. Each acts in grace, choosing to extend mercy rather than cling to offense.

Four practical steps towards mending rifts:

• • Admit your pain, anger, frustration openly to a trusted partner, group, or counselor. Open Arms shows how Tom’s brother and faithful friends never give up praying for Tom and Claudia. Their gentle encouragement and willingness to provide a listening ear create a safe space to admit failures.
  • Identify any emotions you may be feeling—anger, fear, shame, guilt—and release them in prayer. Tom and Claudia still wrestle with whether and when to reconcile publicly. Forgiveness doesn’t instantly erase every practical fallout—suspicion, scars, financial impacts—but it sets the stage for renewed trust. They choose to attend counseling, commit to transparent communication, and ask their church family to pray for them.
  • Speak or write a brief forgiveness statement: “I forgive you for….” (even if you don’t feel like forgiving at the present moment. Forgiveness is a decision, an action; not an emotion.) Forgiveness is the first step toward restoration, not the last word. God uses humble hearts to write new chapters even when pages have been torn.
  • Ask God to help you release your bitterness and to replace it with His peace. Through Tom and Claudia’s way of handling their strife, their children, once caught in the crossfire, gain a powerful example of God’s redeeming love. Seeing parents choose grace teaches younger generations to break cycles of bitterness and handle conflict biblically.

Forgiveness is one of the most countercultural acts we can offer—a choice to believe the best even when we’ve been hurt. Open Arms delivers a heart-stirring portrait of brokenness falling away when Christ’s grace floods two wounded hearts. Whether your marriage teeters on the brink or you carry scars from past relationship failures, Open Arms can help you find courage to ask, “What if love really is the better path?”

Ready to experience the tender power of grace in action? Pick up Open Arms by Tracy Wainwright today and follow Tom and Claudia’s journey from fractured lives to a vibrant, God-centered marriage. Let their story inspire your own steps toward forgiveness—and the new seasons of peace waiting on the other side.

Reflection questions:

• – Whose forgiveness have you withheld, and why?
• – How might God be prompting you to take a first step today?
• – Who could come alongside you in prayer and encouragement?

Open Arms

Sarah Crysel adores being a wife and spending her days with her students at the middle-school where she teaches.

But one dream remains unfulfilled.

She longs to be a mother. Can she find joy even if the Lord doesn' t fulfill her most urgent desire to be a mom? Will Sarah be able to find joy in life if the Lord doesn' t fill her open arms with a child of her own?

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