We’ve all wished for things we think would improve our relationships. I wish so-and-so would call more. He doesn’t bring me flowers often enough. She doesn’t compliment me enough. I wish I had money to go out with friends. I wish I had more time to spend with my family.
We want healthy relationships. But what we think would improve those relationships generally revolves around two things: how other people or our circumstances should change.
Our relationships are driven by selfishness and discontentment. But God has a different plan for us. In our interactions with other people, God wants us to shift our thinking. Instead of asking, “What can others do for me?” we can ask, “What can I do to help others? How can I humble myself?” The gospel is life to all who believe, and as Christians, we should be living in a way that speaks life to others.
Thankfully, God hasn’t left us to our own devices in figuring out what a life-giving walk looks like. God gives grace to fallen people, and sometimes that takes the form of practical advice for situations we don’t have the wisdom to navigate.