Broken relationships are often the result of immaturity. It's especially sad when immature attitudes ruin relationships with parents, children, and siblings.
Immature Christians define love as approval.
Romans 14 commands us to love others despite non-essential doctrinal disagreements, and that principle certainly carries through to other disagreements.
It's unrealistic to require complete approval and like-mindedness in every relationship. (See Does True Love Include Disapproval?)
Immature Christians also refuse to accept conflict.
Because we are all sinners, most relationships include some complaints, disagreements, and difficulties. Are we humble enough to work through the messy aspects of relationships, or do we give up when things aren't "perfect"? (See You Can't Love God if You Refuse.)
The most destructive habit of immature Christians is emphasizing the sins of others and excusing their own.
If we can't admit our faults or if we embellish the faults of others, we're the main problem. (See Refusing Correction.)(1)
Mature Christians fix broken relationships by accepting differences, working through problems, and humbly confessing sin.
-----------------
(1) If we've harshly criticized others, we should expect problems. Making broad generalizations like "You've always been a manipulative son" or "You've always been a critical mother" are effective ways of building walls. If you've made this kind of remark to others, you need to ask their forgiveness and ask God's help in seeing things realistically.
If you’re having difficulty with a relationship, why not read through the verses below each day. Or better yet, check out today's Bite Size Bible Study that contains the full text for each Scripture below with 6 Truths that Restore Relationships.
Matthew 5:23-24
Matthew 7:3-5
Matthew 16:24
Romans 12:16-18
Romans 14:19
Ephesians 4:29-32
Philippians 2:1-4
Bible Love Notes
No comments:
Post a Comment