Trampled relationships
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I receive a moving, hurt, raw to the bone, call:
I was at the police station today. I was charged. I’m fed up. Sometimes it feels as if there is nothing to live for anymore. I know in my heart I have a lot to live for, but every step I take is held against me. I can’t go on. I really wish I could find an attorney who can simply take over and finally end this thing. I’m so tired of all the stories. I wish I had someone on my side who could take her on when she simply does what she wants without taking me into consideration. Someone who could talk to her about the decisions she makes without thinking what effect it has on the children. Someone who can give me hope. I feel the pressure. More and more pressure. I want to continue with my life without being under the microscope all the time. I want to be free. I want to make my own decisions, not wait for a possible court ruling that will influence the rest of my life.
Here I stand among the druggies, and the police takes my fingerprints and I’m charged and taken to a cell, like a criminal. I’m heart sore.
Relationships lie broken and trampled on the ground.
It’s not always easy to live with others. One moment everything is going smoothly and suddenly, before we know it, the wind come from another direction, unleashing a storm among loved ones. One moment everything is filled with love, but one party says something little, and a small war breaks out and soon the relationships are frozen and locked in ice.
I suspect the devil knows how much we struggle with this. He knows we can argue over the smallest of things. He knows it’s our Achilles heel. He knows it’s the soft spot in our armour and that is why he will make an effort to use it to tear people apart, because when relationships are broken, people become weak.
When we realise that our relationships are always under attack, we understand that we have to spend a lot of energy on it. We can’t just go along happily and think our relationships will never be targeted. No, we must actively work on our relationships and plan to keep them healthy.
Paul knew how important this is and that is why he warned: 3And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.
Our relationships with our spouse, children, friends and colleagues are precious. It is the proverbial glue that holds us together. It is a very special gift that God gave us. Through his Holy Spirit God brings people into our lives with whom we are in a relationship and these relationships anchor us. When the storms come we can help one another to stay anchored.
This is important. We must acknowledge and understand the impact that people and our relationships with them have on our lives. Therefore, we must protect it at all cost. We mustn’t allow a wedge to be driven between us. We mustn’t allow anything, not sport, work, friends or money, nothing, to come between us. That is not what God intended. That is not what the Holy Spirit wants.
It’s hard work to keep the peace, but fortunately we’re not alone. The Holy Spirit sends people into our lives. And He also creates the relationships between us. But even more, He will also help us to keep those relationships going. He will help us understand the value of those relationships. He will help us to focus less on ourselves and more on the other person.
Yes, we do need help, because on our own we’ll never get the kite off the ground.
Scripture:
Reflection
What is the status of your relationships?
Where do you have to make an effort?
Is the Holy Spirit part of your plans?
Prayer
Holy Spirit, we need You so much! Amen
