Relationship Rescue
In school, most of us were taught all sorts of things we will never use in real life… (hello periodic table!)
And it seems like the things that would be really important to learn were skipped over entirely.
For example, why isn’t there a class in school about how to pay your taxes? After all, This is something required by law you’re responsible for forever! And anyone who has ever paid taxes knows it’s complicated! But you get a minimum wage job as a teenager and it’s, “Good luck, Hope you don’t get arrested for fraud or tax evasion!” And btw, who is FICA and why are we sharing a paycheck?
Something else we were never taught is anything about relationship management? Most of us humans have to interact with other humans multiple times a day. We balance marriages, families, friendships…and again…crickets from the powers that be.
But hey, we do know the food pyramid and all the states and their capitals.
Im no professional, but it seems like the priorities are a tad bit off in our education system. (IMHO)
Relationships are important! In fact, most of what Jesus ever taught was about relationships. Out of the 10 commandments, 4 focus on our relationship with God, and 6 focus on our relationships with each other.
When asked about THE most important of all the commandments, Jesus said, “Loving God and loving others!” - Relational!
I recently read a quote by some famous person that said, “The number one indicator of how happy you will be in life balances on the healthiness of your relationships.”
If that be the case, then it is definitely worth the work!
One of the number one reasons people end up in jail is some type of relational issue!
Are you starting to see a pattern? In the simplest of terms…Relationships are hard!
But the Bible does offer us some answers. Jesus, our example, taught things like….
*Treat others the same way you want to be treated
*Don’t be selfish
*Be slow to anger
*Speak little, listen a lot
*A soft answer turns away wrath
*When you do end up having an issue with your brother or sister, don’t sweep it under the rug! Lets go deal with it in love
(Mat 5:23-24)
Jesus was teaching incredible communication techniques long before Dr. Phil and Oprah.
I truly believe If you were to practice just a couple of these, maybe even just one, I can just about guarantee that your relationships would improve.
Jesus taught many more principles than the ones listed, but I encourage you to choose just one to focus on this week.
Do you want to be a better listener? Would you like to not “pop off” so quickly when someone annoys you? How about making that phone call you’ve been putting off?
Prioritizing some of these teachings are the simple things you can do to improve your life and relationships, but they are never easy. However, once you start, you will feel a little lighter and your overall outlook will improve. I know from experience that once you accomplish one hard thing, the next one gets a little easier to do. You build trust with yourself.
In Galatians ch. 5 we read about the fruit of the spirit…
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.Treasures like these are not obtained over night. These seeds need sunlight and rain to grow and flourish. But like anything worth having, consistency and faithfulness are key.
It seems to me like God is often in the slow and boring, rather than the flashy and fast!
Faith, as well as relationships, aren’t built in the extraordinary! They’re built in the everyday. Don’t despise ordinary. It often turns out to be the very place where God is doing His most extraordinary work.
“Relationships are less about grand gestures and more about showing up, consistently and wholeheartedly”
