Scott and Robin began to worry when cracks appeared in the walls of their home. Over the course of 2 weeks, the fractures widened until their garage dropped away from their house. The rest of their property shifted and eventually sank 10 feet below street level. Then eight of their neighbors endured the same gradual catastrophe, linked to underground leakage from a county water system.

When relationships collapse, it’s often due to a slow progression of problems. For example, Joseph’s brothers didn’t sell him into slavery on a whim—they did so because of the bad history between them (Genesis 37:1-20).

The problems may have started with what Joseph’s tattling had done. As a teen, he worked for his brothers and reported their misdemeanors to his father (Genesis 37:2). Jacob also openly loved Joseph more than his other sons and gave him a multicolored coat to prove it. This stoked his brothers’ hatred (Genesis 37:3-4).

Joseph put more dents in his relationship with his brothers when he blurted out dreams he’d had in which he was superior to his siblings (Genesis 37:8). His brothers’ jealousy escalated even more. Finally, they conspired to kill him, but ended up selling him into slavery instead (Genesis 37:18,26-28). This final betrayal occurred at the end of a long line of offenses.

When we see similar patterns in our own relationships, it’s important to patch the cracks that threaten our closest ties. God’s Word directs us to resolve problems as they occur. Ephesians 4:26 says, “Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry.” Saying “I’m sorry” or “I forgive you” today might save you from some major repair work in the years to come (Matthew 5:23-25).

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Jeremiah 38:1-13