tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854809318196450424.post1006310482866630728..comments2021-12-31T01:04:21.655-08:00Comments on My Byrd Life: Relationship StruggleAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891265025494814774noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854809318196450424.post-73652187097740393292016-04-20T10:55:48.607-07:002016-04-20T10:55:48.607-07:00You're right in that there is a real vulnerabi...You're right in that there is a real vulnerability in relationships (lack of control). Definitely not easy. I do, however, feel like in our culture there is a lot more isolation (partially due to social media?). People like getting together and hanging out in person but not very many people make the effort to make a gathering happen. They may really enjoy the relationship but not think about being an initiator, which is the part I have trouble understanding and sometimes interpret as a lack of interest in the relationship.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00891265025494814774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854809318196450424.post-4314934868698357722016-04-20T10:51:20.190-07:002016-04-20T10:51:20.190-07:00Thanks for the book recommendation! I'll add i...Thanks for the book recommendation! I'll add it to my reading list.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00891265025494814774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854809318196450424.post-45032869299673108712016-04-20T05:00:41.890-07:002016-04-20T05:00:41.890-07:00I know I already posted, but this topic has really...I know I already posted, but this topic has really lodged itself in my brain. Another thing I have noticed in my own relationships is that they only go as far as the other person wants and this is not in my control. Even in Jesus' earthly relationships you see that those who pursued him back were the ones he was closest to. There is a freedom in just loving people without worrying about how they will respond. That is not to mean it won't make you sad or that you won't experience loneliness, but these emotions can be a wonderful thing when they prompt you to draw closer to God. I like to read through Psalms when I'm feeling down, discouraged or anxious. Many of the Psalms remind me that I'm not alone in this experience and demonstrate how the writer (usually David) turns to God in those moments and even counsels himself. Jen Tutorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04879256211981688143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854809318196450424.post-81663697957681234772016-04-19T11:32:46.877-07:002016-04-19T11:32:46.877-07:00I've had a similar change in my approach to re...I've had a similar change in my approach to relationships as Debbie. By nature I am prone to analyze and over analyze things, including relationships. Like Debbie, I came to the conclusion a few years ago that I was viewing relationships in the wrong way. You might like a book I'm reading by Paul David Tripp called Relationships: A Mess Worth Making. Jen Tutorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04879256211981688143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854809318196450424.post-5112323199546343712016-04-19T03:44:55.676-07:002016-04-19T03:44:55.676-07:00Thank you! This is really helpful (and true and en...Thank you! This is really helpful (and true and encouraging)!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00891265025494814774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854809318196450424.post-14145598128451304822016-04-18T19:27:32.829-07:002016-04-18T19:27:32.829-07:00Megan, I so get what you are saying here. I guess ...Megan, I so get what you are saying here. I guess I would say that I've come to see relationships a little differently than I did years ago. What I think now is that there isn't the perfect reciprocal relationship out there. What there is, is the opportunity, when I meet someone I want to get to know better, to give as much as I feel lead to give of myself and then not expect back anything other than what they feel lead to give. To do that I've had to come to a point of trust with God that when I need to be poured into, He'll send someone my way to do that. My husband has reminded me more than once that God doesn't always pour back into me from the person I've poured into, but He does use someone in my life to pour back into me. So I don't see it as a 50%/50% proposition, moreso a, going with my heart to give where I feel lead and then trusting Him to fill me back up and supply my needs from whomever He chooses. Debbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11554095480953317009noreply@blogger.com