Love within God's family

One of my favorite passages is found in Colossians 3:12-14.  It reads "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtures put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."  (NIV)  A few years ago there was a movie and a book about fireproofing your marriage.  The concept was that you could restore a broken marriage in 40 days by doing something special each day.  There was a list to follow.  There are many Christians who have left the church and no longer associate with other Christians because they have been hurt or become disenchanted.  Could the concepts listed in the book about fireproofing a marriage be carried over to God's family?  What are some things we can do to encourage and let our brothers and sisters in Christ know we love them?  Let's start with the list from Colossians and clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Make sure we have a forgiving nature and do not hold grudges or anger in our heart.  Pray for a loving heart toward all you come in contact with.  There are many passages that teach us how to treat each other and how to restore our family.  We will explore more of these passages with time.  For today, pray for wisdom and eyes to see those who are hurting and who need to see our love.  When you pray for open eyes you may be surprised who God will show to you.