I know that almost everyone can relate that ‘peopling’ with you know… people can be difficult at times. Everyone is made up of different personalities. We all have things we love, while also having things we absolutely dislike. We all have different ways we receive love and fulfilment and this makes it very unique to have successful relationships.

We are created to be in relationships. First of all God created us to be in relationship with Him. Of course people (AKA Adam and Eve) clearly messed that one up for us. But the loving God that we serve sent yet another way to be in relationship with us… He sent His own son Jesus to die on the cross so that we would have the opportunity to access God through the shed blood of Jesus! How grateful am I for that! I’d be absolutely a mess without a relationship with Jesus!

Which leads me to this. If I know I can be a handful to handle at times, and I know I need the grace of God in my own life… then why doesn’t it come easy to extend the same grace to others? We are so quick to expect grace for our mistakes, for our downfalls, for our own bad decisions; yet when it comes to others we are like, “Nope that’s it you messed up and I’m done.”

Life is hard. We all know this. People are all in different seasons of life all at different times. You might be a winning season where you just got a promotion, you got married, having children, retiring from your career, buying a new house, the list is endless. While someone else just lost their job, is going through a rough patch in their marriage, can’t have a baby, foreclosing on their home… you never know what is truly going on in everyone’s world. Yet we are so quick to throw judgement and accusations as to why they are acting the way they are. As to why they are isolating, as to why they are not the same as they used to be.

What have we done lately to check in on someone in need? What have we done lately to take our attention off our own problems and take five minutes to share a smile with someone who needs it? When is the last time you simply called someone you know and offered to pray with them, because they were on your heart? When is the last time you realized you were in a funk of your own…yet you turned it around for an opportunity to grow and reached out to love on someone else or celebrate with someone else for their big WIN?

We have to quit being so quick to be offended, to be hurt, and learn to love like Jesus loves us. He loves us when we mess up. Jesus loves us even when we walk away. He loves you when you come back to your senses. Jesus loves you in the middle of the storm, and He loves you on top of the mountain. Jesus just loves His people. So, in return if you are running after Jesus… then you too must love His people. Because His people… represents you too!

Relationships should breathe life into your soul. Yes they take work, yes its a give and take; but that doesn’t mean it should drag you down. Take an inventory of your relationships today… ask yourself is this relationship healthy? Is it pushing me to Jesus, is it encouraging me to keep going? Or does this relationship zap my joy? Does this relationship leave me feeling bogged down and full of negativity? If so, how can I be the solution to bring change to it? How can I watch my relationships thrive instead of just barely survive?

Unfortunately sometimes we find ourselves in very toxic relationships… sometimes this takes more than just a hope to change. If you find yourself in a relationship that is toxic; you may need to remove yourself completely. This is very hard and difficult to do; but in the long run we are after healthy, thriving relationships. Not ones that cause us much pain, trauma, abuse, and so on. God doesn’t expect anyone to live in a prison of a relationship and neither should you. Pray, seek counsel from Pastor’s/leaders, get on a road of healing for your heart, but always be ready to seek new healthy relationships! Don’t allow the enemy to keep you in a cave that you don’t ever find a relationship that is Godly and wholesome to your life!

Today I pray over every person who is alive and breathing… we all have relationships of some kind. I pray that God shed light on the ones that are stealing our joy and peace; so that we can seek Him on a solution to breathe life back into that relationship. I pray for you today to see the value in your relationships and begin to place priority on them that you’ve lost in the past. Begin to pray for one another, encourage one another and champion one another! Let’s keep growing in the Lord together and enlarge the Kingdom of Heaven through true Godly relationships! Just as He intended!

Proverbs 27:17 NLT
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

#NotMoved #FightForRelationship #GodlyRelationships #HealthyRelationships #ToxicRelationships