How
to Steward Your Relationships
Without
Losing Yourself
With all lowliness and
gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:23 KJV
Whether it’s marriage,
friendships, being a co-worker or acquaintance, it will be to your advantage if
you put your relationships in God’s Hands. He will teach you how to be a better
person with a strong character. Our feelings can sometimes hinder us, because
we all have differing points of view and levels of maturity. When we butt heads
with our loved ones or associates, we allow our egos to get the best of us and
steer our relationships off course. Arguments are all about who will prevail in
getting their point across. Even if we are right, we still deal with the sting
of how we feel after a disagreement.
In order to manage and maintain good
relationships, we have to crucify our egos, that’s our flesh nature, in order
to do it. We must be willing to forgive, walk away, and agree to disagree.
That’s okay, because even in that, it’s a resolution.
Let Love Prevail
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself; is not puffed up. I Corinthians 13:4
Love is the foundation of
good relationships. Loving is sharing and caring. When we walk in love, we are
imitating Christ’s love for us. He loved us so deeply that He laid His life
down for us. We are to pattern our lives after Christ’s example and lifestyle
of loving. In order to manage our relationships in love, we must choose to lay
down our opinions and pride and allow understanding and compassion to be the
cornerstone of relating to others. I’m not saying you must be a doormat and let
people walk all over you, that’s where setting healthy boundaries comes in. Love prevails when you allow others to feel
like they matter. Being a forgiving person and using diplomacy in relationships
will save you from distressing situations and will keep harmony and peace.
How
to Manage Relationships by Setting Boundaries
Set boundaries, Save Yourself
Boundaries are a very
valuable and necessary tool in relationships. Without them, you’ll open
yourself up to possibly being manipulated and taken advantage of. Unfortunately,
everyone may not be mature enough to handle love on love’s terms. And some
people may not be aware that they are stretching the limits. Use godly discernment
to gauge who to deal with and how much to open yourself up.
There’s
Balance in Boundaries
If you are a person who
loves hard, wanting to be your best to be a good friend, save yourself by
setting healthy boundaries. This will protect you from being victimized by
predators. Know when to be open and generous, and when to say no. You don’t
have to be everything to everyone. There is nothing wrong with perfecting the
art of saying no. It will teach others to take responsibility for themselves
and release you from feeling obligated to be their savior.
Ask God to give you
discernment so that you won’t be victimized by people with unrealistic
expectations. Love yourself enough to establish boundaries. You owe no one
anything but to love them, even if you have to leave them alone.
A
Real Life Lesson
Keep
thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs
4:23
I have a friend who had to learn a hard lesson about neglecting to set boundaries in her life. She’s a very loving and caring person who would sometimes go out of her way to do anything for anyone. Family and friends’ expectations of her caused her undue burdens, and as a result, she stretched herself to the point where it affected her health. She started losing herself trying to save others.
We began to have conversations about how to get her
relief. It took some time, but she learned how to set limits on her time,
attention, and money. My friend had to process through feeling guilty for
saying no. She realized that instead of helping others she was crippling them
and burdening herself. Today she has gotten so much better with establishing
healthy boundaries. This had resulted in her being less burdened and has turned
her health around.
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