The Power of Love and Forgiveness: Building Joyful Relationships Through God

• By candidasullivan
• December 2, 2024
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We can’t have a joyful life without God. God needs to be the center of our lives in order for us to be peaceful, joyful, and content. Without Him, we do our best, but we will always be searching for the things in others only God can give us. If we want a better relationship with our spouse or children, we must develop a better relationship with God.

So often, we think the problem is the other person, but in my experience, the problem is me. When I get in the trenches with the Lord and dig to the bottom of my heartache, God will help me deal with the real problem. We teach other people how to treat us by how we treat them. If I am angry or yelling, different people will also speak to me that way. But if I am calm and loving when I talk to other people, I will teach them to speak to me that way as well.

Before I look at the faults and failures of others in my relationships, it is always best for me to look at myself. When I can humble my heart and ask God to show me what I am doing wrong, then He will not only reveal my errors to me but also show me how to overcome them. Forgiveness and unconditional love are the answers.

When we tell other people about our bad relationships, we very seldom speak of our part in it all. In our eyes, we are usually the victims, and that is how we tell our stories. The greatest thing we can do, however, is to take responsibility for our actions and our lives. We do this by taking it all to the Lord and asking Him to forgive us and help us overcome hardships.

Not too long ago, I was struggling with some relationships in my life. One day, I asked God to help me fix them. I thought He would give me something complicated, with a lot of steps to follow. But He gave me one thing. Just love them, He told me. So, instead of focusing on everything they did wrong, I focused on loving them. And it changed everything.

When we look at others through a lens of love instead of judgment, we can see the other person’s soul. We all sin, but God has enough love to cover each one. It is not our job to punish other people or to fix them. It is our job to love them.