A story doesn’t have to be long to speak volumes about God’s goodness in our daily lives.

Earlier this year, we invited people to tell us about the great things they’d seen God do on their frontlines. When Linda* responded, she wrote simply and succinctly. But her words point to a great work of reconciliation: a family restored by the grace of God.

Here’s what Linda said to us.

‘A situation arose whereby my daughter, who is not a Christian, felt very hurt by her cousin. In the years since she’d got married and had children, she felt that she’d been rejected.

‘It was certainly not deliberate on her cousin’s part. But over time it became quite a serious situation which could have had consequences for our large extended family.

‘We prayed and felt convicted by the words of Philippians 4:5: “Let your gentleness be known to all men.” With that in mind, my niece, her mum and other members of the family set out to diffuse the situation by being humble, looking at what had happened through my daughter’s eyes, and making her and her family feel wanted and loved.

‘We know things could have turned very nasty – so we are very grateful to God that relationships are now restored.’

It’s simply put, but those final words – ‘relationships are now restored’ – mean a lot. Family feuds can be dark, destructive things. But when conflict flared up in Linda’s family, God worked through her and her family members to minister grace and love. He spoke through the Bible, and Linda responded in humility – choosing to model godly character in a stressful situation. And through that grace, love, and humility, the culture of Linda’s family was moulded to look that bit more like the kingdom of heaven.

Linda’s frontline is her time with her family. Maybe yours is too. How might God be working on your frontline? And what good, fruitful work might he have for you to do there?

*Name changed