What are amends?
· To make right where we have done wrong.
· If finances were involved, we need to pay back what we owe.
· Living/Indirect Amends are done when we cannot directly apologize or make financial restitution due to death or it would cause further harm. This demonstrates that we are willing to make restitution for whatever harm we have inflicted. An example of this would be donating money to a charity that is related to the damage we have caused.
· “If you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar and…someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.” (Matthew 5:23)
· Sometimes it is simply an admission of our wrong actions, while other more complicated amends may require a long-term commitment to make things right in a relationship.
What types of harm do we owe an amends for?
· Emotional- treating people in any other way than you would want to be treated.
· Physical- inflicting any form of physical harm.
· Sexual- inflicting any form of sexual harm.
· Financial- taking anything that did not belong to you.
· Spiritual- when we mislead or impact the well-being of others it causes spiritual damage.
· “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” (Luke 6:31)
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