I AM EMBRACING RELATIONSHIP

“I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4

By nurturing connections I care about I will always have someone to turn to.

Have you ever had a safe friend or family that you could run to no matter how long it’s been? A person who understands you and knows how to talk you down from dangerous places. A person who can keep it real with you and support your growth. Someone who’s not afraid to ask the hard questions and will fight for you in rooms you’re not in. That person. Think about how grateful you are to have them in your life… now think about the last time you intentionally poured into that relationship.

One of these safe friends for me recently texted me randomly just to say she loved me and it scared me. Why? Because in all the years we’ve been friends that was outside of the norm for how we communicate with each other. I reached out to make sure everything was ok and she just said “I do that now.” She had been doing some reflecting and realized she hadn’t been pouring into her circle the way she wanted to or the way she felt her loved one deserved and wanted to change that. Her reflection made me do some reflecting of my own and really think about how I am Embracing Relationship.

Relationship is one of the most cherished things we have. The connection between ourselves and others is one of the things that gets us through the difficulties that are life. But we often take them for granted after we’ve been in them for a certain amount of time. Think about how things were at the beginning of the relationship. How excited you were to learn new things about a person, about their history, their likes and dislikes. Discovering what you have in common and where you sit on opposite ends of the spectrum. Learning to love the great things and accept the not so great things. But 5, 10, 20 years later you stop doing that so much. You get comfortable in the space and decide a person will just be there no matter what… or will they? If you don’t do the work to make sure your relationships are sustained will they last? So how do we do that? Let’s Affirm!

Affirmation 1: Nurture doesn’t have one look. Figure out what works for the relationship, not what you’ve seen someone else do or what you think might work. Talk to the person and find a good plan that you can both be comfortable with. And don’t be afraid of trial and error! Just because something doesn’t work right away doesn’t mean you have to throw the whole relationship away.

Affirmation 2: I don’t have to jump to conclusions, I can ask. Never assume the relationship is good or bad, just talk to the other person. Anxiety can make catastrophizing easier to do and that can make things worse instead of better. Keep the lines of communication open so you can be on the same page.

Affirmation 3: Your efforts will be rewarded… even if it doesn’t seem like it. Ok, so I know how hard it is to put yourself out there, and to ask questions about a relationship you’re afraid of losing. But isn’t it better to know? Isn’t it better to operate from a place of transparency? Losing a relationship sucks. No matter what kind it is. And the pain of that loss is very real and often debilitating. But I’m encouraging you to put forth the effort so you can make the best choices for yourself. I promise you it will be better in the long run.

My friends, I’ve missed y’all! I had to step away to handle life for a minute but I’m glad to be back and to continue fostering the relationship I have developed with all of you. I want you to know that you are capable of so much more than you give yourself credit for and that you are so valuable, to me and to your loved ones. Continue to foster those relationships and to never forget the most important ones: with God and yourself! Keep God close to your heart so He can fill in those gaps. And always, always take care of yourself so you can keep pouring into others. I love you, and I’m always rooting for you! Keep conquering.