Many of our relationships are just rusted out containers housing tired old clichés. Consequently, we feel frustrated because people don’t really understand us. We lament the fact that people who claim to love us really don’t feel our pain. We bemoan the fact that our friends don’t really understand the baggage of hurt we carry. We wonder why those in our inner circle don’t really trust us the way we feel they should. The same questions you have about others are being posed by others about you.
How can Christian singles move beyond the cliché tainted relationships we have with others?
- Strive to love others as God loves us. A major characteristic of Godly love is self-sacrifice.
- Put others’ needs above your needs. It’s not about what is good for you. Make it about what is good for others.
- Listen with your heart as well as with your ears. Stop listening only to see how you can get what you want.
- Trust others like you want to be trusted. Let’s stop assuming the worst about each other.
- Let your first impulse be to forgive instead of to seek revenge. We should love others more when they are behave in unlovable ways.
- Actively seek opportunities to inconvenience yourself to help others. Yes, go out of your way to uplift the people in your life!
- Practice, practice and practice some more your trust in God that He will take care of you if you put all of your energies in selflessly helping others. It is an outright lie that God helps those who help themselves! The spiritual truth is that God helps those who help others.
Relationships should be a source of joy and peace, not occasions for suspicions, frustrations and unhappiness. Christian singles should strive to set the standard for how friends, lovers, family and associates interact with each other. My prayer is that we will drop-kick those useless clichés and embrace the true power of genuine relationships.
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