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Just like a perpetrator in a crime scene, we leave our “finger prints” behind in nearly everything we do – including in our relationships.
And, just as C.S.I. detectives attempt to deconstruct a situation and try to figure out, “How did we get here?”, we tend to do the same in our marriages, as parents, as friends and co-workers.
The answer to this question often lies within the fingerprints hidden all over our lives.
As my dad often says, “What you do now will impact where you end up down the road.”
Or, conversely, “Where you’re at now has a lot to do with what happened in your past.”
When we choose to invest – even in the smallest of ways – in peoples’ lives, we have opportunities to show them that they are valuable and cared for. This alone can often go a long, long way.
But this fact can also be fairly daunting. Especially when we are young and immature, we may not realize how the things that we say and do affect other people – not just at that moment but possibly in the long run as well – even in ways you never intended.
So, what do you do when you look back and realize that your fingerprints might be all over some notorious “relational crime scene”?
As Romans 12:18 says:
“Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”
We need to always be on the lookout for opportunities to find ways to create peace.
This often actually starts with a hard look at yourself in the mirror. Once we honestly and humbly look at our own words and actions, we can more clearly see the impact we might have on other peoples’ lives – both negatively and positively.
One thing to keep in mind is the value of all people. We are all created in God’s image. Therefore we all inherently possess and extreme value – even though we don’t’ often see it in ourselves or acknowledge it in others. Regardless, like a gold coin stuck down deep in the darkest pocket, the value is still undeniably there.