AUNT SALLY is happy to provide free personal advice and opinions on a variety of subjects.
Need help with relationship problems, spiritual questions, parenting situations?
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Send your questions/comments to Aunt Sally via e-mail at [email protected] or by
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Questions appropriate for printing in the War Cry will be answered through this column.
Dear Aunt Sally:
How are the "minor" proph-
ets different from the "ma-
jor" prophets in the Bible?
--Majoring in Minors
Dear Majoring:
In the Bible a prophet was God's mes-
senger to His people. Called and equipped
by God, he confronted people with sin,
warned of coming judgment and told of
the consequences of God's people refus-
ing to repent and obey. The prophet often
had to address difficult political, social or
religious situations. Some of the proph-
ets' messages focus on forgiveness and
renewal. The prophets pointed the way
to Jesus, God's Son. Their messages and
experiences are presented in 17 of the 66
books of the Bible.
The terms "major" and "minor" are
used to describe the length and impor-
tance of a prophet's message. There are
five major prophets (Isaiah � Daniel) and
twelve minor ones (Hosea � Malachi).
Despite the overall seemingly negative
tone of these books, there are valuable
truths to be discovered in these pages.
person an opportunity to re-
spond or explain, listening with
undivided attention. The main
goal of your meeting should be
that of reconciliation, restoring
your relationship. It would be
wonderful if this could be done
while simultaneously solving
the problem. But sometimes people
have to "agree to disagree," acknowl-
edging that neither of you agree about
the offense or resolution, but that you
do value each other and want to main-
tain your friendship.
One remaining important action
for you to take is that of forgiveness.
Whether your friend agrees to his/her
part in the offense
or not, God encour-
ages us to forgive.
This act will free
you from the pain of
the injury, remove a
possible foothold for Satan and allow
Christ's light to shine more brightly in
and through your life.
Dear In the Dark:
If the other person is not aware of a
problem, they probably don't know how
their relationship with you has been af-
fected. Your question gives the impres-
sion that this relationship is an important
one to you, one that you value and want
to continue. The implication here is that
of a minor relational concern, and not
one of a more serious nature, such as
abuse or criminal activity. My response is
intended for the less serious offenses.
While it may be difficult, you should
bring the concern to your friend's at-
tention, and the sooner the better. And
always bring the matter before the Lord,
asking for His wisdom and guidance. Ask
Him to open your eyes and ears to His
direction. God may bring aspects of the
problem to light that have not occurred
to you.
A helpful exercise is to reduce the situ-
ation to the bare impersonal facts and
write them out. This is helpful in remov-
ing the emotions surrounding the offense,
and in allowing for more clarity. It may
even reveal a part you may have played in
the problem.
In concert with the Lord's leading, you
should arrange to speak privately with
your friend, reminding him/her of
the situation and sharing how
it has affected you. Give the
Dear Aunt Sally:
How do you repair a relationship in which
only one person is aware of the problem?
--In the Dark
8
The War Cry | AUGUST 2013
The terms "major" and "minor"
are used to describe the length
and importance of their message.
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7/16/13 5:26 PM