Relationship Quagmire

Don’t those words describe the reality of life? Relationship Quagmire!

No matter how short or long someone has lived they have experienced the blessings of relationships working well and the curses of relationships going sideways! It starts young: “She won’t play with me!” “He’s not playing fair!” It seems to continue into later years: “She won’t play with me!” “He’s not playing fair!” You and I have heard it from children and we’ve heard it from people way further along in life.

When does a person experience the greatest amount of growth in life? When life is perfect or when life pushes imperfection straight into our path? When the road is smooth and easy or when the road is rough and hard?

I’ve come to believe that God often uses people and relationship ‘processes and events’ to confront areas in my life where I need to find freedom in and experience growth.

Let me illustrate: If ‘fear of rejection’ or ‘fear of betrayal’ are underlying issues in a person’s life, does the most growth come from always experiencing acceptance and loyalty or does the most growth come from experiencing the very thing that is feared – rejection and betrayal? I believe that the answer is not one or the other but – the answer is both.

Experience and what is written in God’s Word teach me that growth happens when I experience acceptance and loyalty from others – but even greater growth happens when I have to wrestle through rejection and betrayal and come face to face with my fears.

How do I come face to face with the fear of rejection and betrayal? By being rejected and betrayed! Then I can either become bitter – letting rejection and betrayal have full destructive license with my heart and life, or I process the rejection and betrayal and let the Holy Spirit and God’s Word bring freedom and growth in the very area of weakness and fear. That happens in ‘Relationship Quagmires!’

Choose to let the Holy Spirit and God’s Word bring freedom and growth in your life!