Obstacles

Relationships are hard work. Establishing a relationship takes effort, yes, but the real challenge is found in maintaining them. Finding ways to cultivate deep and lasting relationships is a life long pursuit. The challenges standing in the way are many, but we can anchor to s source of relational truth. The three biggest challenges to relationship are, misunderstanding, me-first disease, and mistakes.

Which of the three challenges most commonly derails your relationships?
As painful as it is to admit, mine would have to be the me-first disease. The challenge in writing about it, I run the risk of falling prey to this disease even more. So to keep it simple, I try to gain too much for selfish reasons in relationships if I am not careful.

What is the remedy?
For me the remedy is as simple as asking myself a simple question. That question, how can I serve the person I am in a relationship with. Not so i can get something from them in return. Simply how can I serve them. Maybe in another set of terms, How can I be like Christ to other people?

The biggest key in all relationships to me is trusting God to be God. Trust the promises of God. If I am looking for relationships outside of God to satisfy my soul, then I am looking in the wrong places. This goes for every relationship in my life, including my wife, children and all those who I am most close with.