Thursday, April 11, 2024

A Relationship Shouldn’t Drain You


Challenge you? Yes. Show you areas of your heart that need to be worked on? Yes. Teach you patience and compassion? Yes.

But completely drain? No.

Yes, it might be hard on some days. It might take work. It might take understanding and learning how to communicate better. It might take humbling and knowing when to say sorry. And on some days, you might want to throw something at the other person's head and just give up. That is all very normal. But, it should not be draining you, day in and day out, with no changes in sight. It should not be slowly sucking the life out of you, and every day, constantly being entangled in an argument, defeat, or a fight. And making you into someone you don't want to be.

The mind games are not okay. The abuse (in any form), is not okay. And there needs to be boundaries or something in place to facilitate change, or you need to walk away (if you are not married), until change does happen. Until (or if) BOTH parties want to change and make it happen.

I am not saying to give up on people if you know God has placed you their life. I am reminding you that you are a child of God, and how you are treated, matters to Him. Your relationships matter to Him. You, matter to Him. And I am reminding you that this kind of behavior isn’t okay to Him.

Is this a friend? Boyfriend? Or maybe a marriage where some boundaries or counseling need to be discussed?

You CAN break free from this way of living. If this is a pattern in your life, well, maybe you have some issues that need to be addressed. If this is something new, and somehow you have gotten sucked into some unhealhty relationship, maybe you just needed this reminder, that you don't have to stay in it. Wherever you are, be honest with God, and friend? Invite Him into it.

Some of you are in a relationship right now and you know it isn't the right one. Some of you have a friend in your life, and they aren't treating you like one. Some of you might be married, and just don't know what to do anymore. Friend? Invite Him into it. Bring it all to Him, be honest with Him and yourself, and listen when He tells you what to do.