#gratefulvibes - A RESTORED RELATIONSHIP :) ( Relationships are Worth Saving)

Today, I'm grateful for my restored relationship with my mother :) #gratefulvibes

This world is a capricious place. You will be let down a lot of times, even by the most unexpected people. These are the people who thought who will go with you all the way through life. People who you hope to be in your lifelong relationships. But nothing is black or white. We are all gray and we are all striving to be in the lightest shade. In one way or another, we disappoint people and get disappointed too.

The easiest way to destroy a person’s life is through relationships. People are wired to belong. We all needed relationship, right ones. But nowadays, relationships are easily destroyed. One does not need so much effort, even silence breaks things easily.

But I believe that jumping from one relationship to another makes you an island. There are relationships that are worth saving. Sometimes, we judge people too quickly. Thought such as “Why did they do this?” is governed by our own ego and that’s why we tend to burn bridges so fast. But one thing I learned is that the silver lining of broken relationships is empathy. Instead of running through that kind of thought, empathy allows you to think “What compelled them to do this?” Try to put yourself inside their shoes and rationalize their behavior to a level that lets you understand the reasoning behind it.

One of the greatest books I’ve read “Purpose Driven Life” taught me that broken relationships are worth saving. How? Talk to God before talking the person. Praying about the conflict instead of gossiping to it to a friend is a much better choice. It’s either God changes your heart or He changes the other person without your help. Most conflict is rooted by unmet needs. Some of these needs can only be met by God. And if we expect anyone – a friend or so to meet a need, we are setting ourselves to disappointment and bitterness.

God expects you to make the first move. Don’t wait for time. Time heals nothing; it only causes hurt to fester.

Empathize. Paul said “Look out for one another’s interest, not just for your own.” Feelings are not always true and logical. Resentment makes us act in foolish ways. As David admitted “When my thoughts were bitter and my feelings were hurt, I was stupid as an animal.” We all act beastly when hurt. On the contrary, “It’s a man’s glory to overlook an offense.” It is wisdom to hear the other’s perspective. I believe this cliche is true: People don’t care what we know until they know we care.

Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution. We can’t always expect people to agree with us all the time. But we can reestablish relationship even when we are unable to resolve our differences. The goal is to save the relationship. But it doesn’t mean that you give up on finding a solution. God expects unity more than uniformity. We can walk arm-in-arm without seeing eye to eye on every issue.

These are some photos of me and my mother. A renewed and restored relationship :) I'm #grateful for this! !

Proverbs 20:9 Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart; I am pure and free from sin?” We are not better than each other. We do make a lot mistakes but His grace spared us. If a person is as disappointed as you for letting you down, maybe that’s a bridge worth rebuilding, a relationship worth saving.