Rebuilding Family Relationships After Change or Loss

^{Understanding, Supporting, Loving=Belonging} 

 ^“ complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” Philippians 2:2 (ESV)

⁸ And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”^[a] 1 Peter 4:8(NKJV)

“Love is stronger than differences. We all live on the same planet.”-Louise Hay

 

We seek love in many places. When we love someone we have so many feelings and emotions for that person. When we fall in love we feel loved, happy, valued, accepted, honored, wanted and protected and we want this person to be in our life all the time and we will reach to the point that we can not live without them. We think of them all the time and we trust them to share our feelings. This person becomes our entire world and we long and desire to be with them. We love them with all our heart, soul and mind. The said love could be for our parents, spouses, family members, children, neighbors, friends, pets, etc.

God has made us and our loved ones completely different people, and the many differences between us can prove frustrating when we are struggling to understand each other. But if we accept the differences between us and learn how to work with them effectively, we can build the close family/ relationships that  God wants us and our family members to enjoy.

How do we get “beyond differences” with loved ones?

Walk a mile in the other’s shoes”. The reason for many of the problems in our relationships is that we don’t take the time to stop and study the other person. We have been hurt, feel judged or defensive due to problems in the past. Understand the needs of your loved one.  Sounds self sacrificing right? In worldly terms, YES. In spiritual terms,  NO. God wants us to love one another as Christ loved the church. Difficult and impossible? Sometimes. I believe that if God knows we are striving to understand our loved ones and support them, we will be living according to His Will for us.  If we will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, He will show us what others need. And the end result is an unconditional feeling of loving and belonging to others through “thick and thin”.

FATHER GOD – THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING US DIFFERENT IN OUR INDIVIDUAL WAYS. HELP US TO CONNECT AND SUPPORT OUR LOVED ONES DESPITE DIFFERENCES. HELP US HAVE THE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE THAT YOU GIVE TO US. REMIND US TO HAVE A HEART OF UNDERSTANDING WHEN FACED WITH CHALLENGES INVOLVING LOVED ONES. THANK YOU FOR CREATING US TO “BELONG” TO OTHERS. AMEN