Thursday, February 23, 2012

Communicating and Forgiving

I hope y'all were able to read Jamie's post on Tuesday about forgiveness. She shared so much truth, and no matter what the relationship is, you can apply this to your life!

I am also going to be spending some time on forgiveness today, but I am going to get a little more specific....

So, have you ever gotten into an argument with someone? Duh...we all have!
Think back to one of the many arguments you have had in your life...
Got it? Ok.
Who was the first person to surrender and say I'm sorry? Was it you, or did you hold a grudge and act stubborn? 
We have all fallen into the grudge trap sometime in our life. Many times we hold grudges because we are prideful and we don't want to be the one to say sorry. Other times, we may think we deserve an apology and saying sorry would prevent that.
 How did it make you feel to hold a grudge? I know for me, holding a grudge never feels good. It makes being around that person uncomfortable and awkward, and it certainly does not make a situation better. 
You see, being able to forgive is a huge part of having a healthy relationship. As Christians, we are called to forgive others, just as the Lord has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:22).

relationship + God = forgiveness

There is one word that comes to mind when I think about forgiveness and healthy relationships...
Communication

When you're in a relationship, communication plays a HUGE role. Without communication, there isn't much left. In order to have a healthy relationship you must learn to communicate your feelings to the other person. As women, that is not always the easiest thing to do. Sometimes I feel a certain way and I can't even to begin to explain why I'm feeling that way or even how I'm feeling. We are complicated, but that's how God made us. He wanted us to be the "feelers", and He designed us to be the ones that were sometimes more complicated. It's ok :)
However, we have to learn to try our best to communicate our feelings to others. If you don't express that you're upset about something, it's not fair to become angry when your husband or boyfriend doesn't respond. He can't read your mind, after all.

Being in my first year of marriage, I have learned the importance of good communication. Yes, it is sometimes frustrating to explain why you feel a certain way. But in the end, it's so worth it friends. The female mind is so different from the male mind. You will be amazed at how much your relationship improves if you just learn to communicate with one another.

With good communication comes understanding. With understanding comes forgiveness. With forgiveness comes a wonderful relationship.

I pray that each of you take time today and reflect on relationships in your life where you may need to forgive. Go to those people and tell them you forgive them. Pray that God will truly heal your heart from that situation, and pray that He will take control of those feelings. I promise you that if you give it over to Him, you will feel so much better!

XOXO,
Savannah


2 comments:

  1. this is amazing! and sooo what i needed to hear! :) i am in the first year of marriage as well and wrote a similar post on my blog because of an argument i got in with my hubby last night! thank you for your words of encouragement!!!
    -Monica

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  2. I think the hardest thing is doing that, forgiving and asking for forgiveness and still feeling like that friendship just wasn't meant to be. :(

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