Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17
Relationships Are Gifts
Lord, you have given us relationships as a gift.
Are you managing your relationships or living in mystery?
MANAGEMENT is an attempt to control life to stay safe and ensure that outcomes we planned or predicted happen.
When we manage a relationship, we prevent it from being an adventure, a joy, a surprise, and a gift.
MYSTERY is a willingness of heart to experience living truthfully and believe that we will find goodness in it.
Living in mystery means walking in the faith that God is big enough to be in control and doesn't require our help to get the job done.
(Management/Mystery is an excerpt from The Voice of the Heart by Chip Dodd)
To fully experience God's love with one another, we must be vulnerable and open to mystery, knowing that if we are hurt, we have a Healer in Christ.
Relationships cannot flourish when we try to manage them.
We need to take the risk of loving others.
How might you have been managing essential relationships in your life?
How have you kept a distance from others to guard against pain in your relationships?
Who have you seen living in mystery through relationships? What was different in their relationships?
How can you discern between dysfunctional and difficult relationships?
Lord, You have made us for relationships with You and others. Give us the wisdom to navigate the mysteries of relationships so we may love others well. Amen