I could write a novel on just how bad I am at relationships. But. . .there is good news. I’m sure there are some out there reading this. . .thinking. . . “I am right there with you. I am no good at relationships”.
The good news is that:
*You don’t have to always be where you are. You’re not a tree, if you don’t like where you are, then move. Meaning. . .you may not be great at relationships right now, but you can be.
*You don’t have to have a ton of friends to be good at relationships. You don’t even have to have a ton of people. When we love the people we are entrusted to; whether that be a greeter at Walmart, the person driving next to us on the road, or people in our daily lives, the impact of Jesus on them can far exceed us trying to make a million friends on social media.
*You don’t have to feel the pressure to get it right, every time. We are human. We are going to mess up. There is room for grace, repentance, and forgiveness.
All we have to do is say “yes” to the very next thing in front of us. Say “yes” to working on what God has called you to. Say “yes” to work on that character trait you feel like you just don’t have down quite yet. Say “less of me and more of You, Jesus”. Say “yes” to taking our pain in relationships, only to Jesus. Little by little. . .all of the things we work on become noticeable. People will recognize it. Our efforts become recognized. Trust builds. Or builds, again.
I firmly believe that when we work on ourselves, first, that overflows into our relationships. When we work on ourselves, first, it changes the dynamic of our relationships and our situations.
If you don’t know how to do that. . .take a look around you. You are most like the 5 people you are around on a daily basis. Surround yourself with 5 people that have those things that you want to work on down. Learn from them. Observe how they handle the situations you struggle with. Use that or adapt it to fit you (in a healthy way). We want to learn from them, while still remaining true to who we are.
And. . .by the way. . .this should be an ongoing process. We should strive for a growth mindset, daily. There will times where we get stuck, and that’s ok. That’s why we surround ourselves with community. Iron sharpens iron.
rootedmamadotorg 