Relationship tips (3)

Here's a great thing to do: pray. Doing it will revolutionise our relationships. How we pray is also really important: praying for the solution we want might not be inviting God to work there. Are we praying, 'Lord, why haven't you fixed them yet? Why haven't you done what will obviously fix them?!'

If instead we pray: 'Lord, do your thing, fix us your way', then we're on much more receptive ground. His perspective is going to be the one that has the best chance of fixing anything. That's also probably why he taught us to pray, 'May your will be done' (Matthew 6:9-10 NLT). The Bible says: 'This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us...we know that we have what we asked of him' (1 John 5:14-15 NIV).

Today's tip: Love is not about feelings. (What?!) If we only focus on the warm and fuzzies, we miss that love is an act of will, about behaving in ways that are loving. That's why commitment features in marriage; marriage isn't designed to be carried by feelings. Isn't that acting hypocritically? No, it's rising above resentment, hurt and fear and practising real faith. Love, sometimes, is an act of willing ourselves to show love, even when we don't feel like it. And it's how God wants us to relate to him, too.



So what now? Ask yourself: 'If I were loving unconditionally right now, what would I be doing?' Then do it.





— SCRIPTURE —

'Pray like this...may your will be done.' Matthew 6:9-10 NLT
— SOULFOOD —

Heb 11:1-6, Matt 21:18-22, Matt 8:5-13 , Mark 6:1-6