A SOULFUL RELATIONSHIP
by Rev. Ronald McFadden
If you're not married yet, share this with a friend. If you are
married, share it with your spouse or other married couples and reflect
on it.
An African proverb states, "Before you get married, keep both eyes
open, and after you marry, close one eye."
Before you get involved and make a commitment to someone, don't let
lust, desperation, immaturity, ignorance, pressure from others or a low
self-esteem, make you blind to warning signs. Keep your eyes open, and
don't fool yourself that you can change someone or that what you see as
faults aren't really important.
Once you decide to commit to someone, over time his or her flaws,
vulnerabilities, pet peeves, and differences will become more obvious.
If you love your mate and want the relationship to grow and evolve,
you've got to learn to close one eye and not let every little thing
bother you. You and your mate have many different expectations,
emotional needs, values, dreams, weaknesses, and strengths. You are two
unique individual children of God who have decided to share a life
together.
Neither of you are perfect, but are you perfect for each other? Do you
bring out the best in each other?
Do you compliment and compromise with each other, or do you compete,
compare, and control? What do you bring to the relationship? Do you
bring past relationships, past hurt, past mistrust, past pain? You
can't take someone to the altar to alter him or her. You can't make
someone love you or make someone stay.
If you develop self-esteem, spiritual discernment, and "a life", you
won't find yourself making someone else responsible for your happiness
or responsible for your pain.
Manipulation, control, jealousy, neediness, and selfishness are not the
ingredients of a thriving, healthy, loving and lasting relationship!
Seeking status, sex, wealth, and security are the wrong reasons to be
in a relationship. What keeps a relationship strong?
Communication, intimacy, trust, a sense of humor, sharing household
tasks, some getaway time without business or children and daily
exchanges (a meal, shared activity, a hug, a call, a touch, a note).
Leave a nice message on the voicemail or send a nice email.
Sharing common goals and interests. Growth is important. Grow together,
not away from each other, giving each other space to grow without
feeling insecure. Allow your mate to have outside interest. You can't
always be together. Give each other a sense of belonging and assurances
of commitment. Don't try to control one another. Learn each other's
family situation. Respect his or her parents regardless.
Don't put pressure on each other for material goods. Remember for
richer or for poorer. If these qualities are missing, the relationship
will erode as resentment, withdrawal, abuse, neglect, dishonesty, and
pain replace the passion.
The difference between 'United' and 'Untied' is where you put the i.
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