Relationship Ramblings......

In the spirit of my New Year's resolution to be "second", one of my goals this year is to deal with some of the relationships in my life in a better manner. Watching Emma go through some 5th grade relationship issues this past week, I realized that we all have these struggles, regardless of our relationships or our age. It has had me thinking quite a bit. It is hard as a person to deal with my own relationships, nevertheless guide my 10 year old daughter on how to appropriately deal with her relationships!

This is what is in my head...relationships. The joy, the pain. The highs, the lows. All the in-betweens that come in relationships. Marriage, friendship, family, acquaintances, complete strangers. We relate with people everyday. We are relational by nature. God created us in our very core to be relational. First and foremost with Him, then with others. I think relationships can bring us extreme joy, but also intense hurt. To let yourself be vulnerable with someone, to open up your heart to be loved, also risks being hurt.

I've been dealing with this with God for a bit now. About why He allows some people to come, take a piece of our heart, and walk away with it. Why some people are only here for a season and then He allows them to move on. Why a goodbye is so hard when someone you love goes away and other times the person goes nowhere, but the relationship is lost, which makes it that much harder. If we are created to be relational, why are relationship so hard sometimes?

NO relationship will ever be perfect with another person because of sin in our world and our own sin nature. The only perfect relationship we will ever have is with Christ. He will never leave us or forsake us, He will never hurt our feelings, He always looks out for our best. He is the true definition of what love is and what trust is. We can completely let ourselves go with Him, and KNOW that He'll never, ever hurt us.

I need that. I need to know that I'm good enough for Him. I need to know He is pleased with me. He created me to be the way I am...which means He likes who I am, even if I feel others do not! This is a lesson I am trying to pass onto my children. He truly knows me, the real me...and doesn't run away. He knows my thoughts, He knows my dreams, my heartaches, my fears. He KNOWS me. Intimately. He is safe. I know that He won't hurt me, ever. He can fill the hole in my heart that other relationships can leave empty.

I've said many times, after being hurt, that I am done. We all know this isn't realistic, but we've all been there. Emma is there right now. We've all had those moments that hurt so bad we declare that we are never going to let anyone hurt us like that again. But...in order to receive love, you have to give love. Which requires us to be vulnerable. That's hard.

So, that's where I am right now. Trying to work this all out. Figure it all out and in the meantime just leaning on Him. We are helpless alone, but with Christ we can do all things. I might not do them perfect or even well at all, but to Him...my efforts are seen and He is proud of me. I pray that during this year, He will work through me in my relationships and help this part of my life. And I pray He will do the same for my children as well, and that they may navigate this area of their lives more smoothly than I do!