MONDAY MOTIVATION: RELATIONSHIPS PART 1

BEFORE AND AFTER

How many of you know as we get healthier our relationships will get healthier.

As I focus on myself rather than always trying to fix other people, that’s when my relationships become healthy.

Many relationships need to be:

• Fixed
• Sanded down
• Stained
• Painted
• Sealed in the purpose

One of Martha's favorite shows is Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gaines and I find myself watching it with her sometimes. I love seeing the before and after footage of the homes they fix.

What about before and after you get married? Before you are married, there's a date night planned with reservations and flowers. After marriage, you're like where you wanna go? Or take out tonight?

Before you are married, the gentleman opens the car door and makes sure you're good. After marriage, they can’t even get both legs in the door before you drive off!

Before marriage, you could easily pick out a movie and agree on what to watch because you just want the other person to be happy. After marriage, you never finish a movie because you fall asleep.

We can’t do life alone!

1. LET GOD FIX IT.

Let God fix some things that are broken.

It's like Ikea – you have to fix it right away, because it's just pieces of furniture in a box. Martha knows now not to even ask for my help when putting something together or if something needs fixed, because I'm just not gifted in that area.

When someone else needs help, we give good advice to them. It’s always easier to tell everyone else what to do. Start following your own advice. Give the advice you would give to somebody else and then live that out.

Revelation 21:5, “He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”(NIV)

God makes all things new.

2. LET GOD STRIP IT

A great example of this is the prodigal son. We have to understand that God is taking us through a process.

Luke 15:15, “So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.”(NIV)

The prodigal son was a young Jewish boy who took all of his inheritance, left his parents, spent it on things he thought would make him happy. After he lost everything he had, he had no where else to turn so he ended up feeding the pigs for a rich farmer. Jews can’t even eat pork. So, he spends all day feeding something that can never feed him.

We feed stuff that can never feed us.

Let God strip away:

• Insecurity
• Jealousy
• Unforgiveness
• Selfishness
• Comparison

 Rather than comparing. Celebrate! Celebrate what God has done in them. You can’t compare and celebrate at the same time.

There’s always somebody who looks more blessed than you, especially on social media. Although there is always somebody that looks more blessed than you, there is nobody better than you.

There is no one better to be the best YOU that God made you.

In the next blog post, we're going to look at what we do after we have done the prep work is done and what it means for a relationship to be painted and sealed.