Key To Happy Relationships Episode–62
The key to happiness? It features your relationships. I didn’t make this up or even read about it online but I did happen upon this thought over a conversation with our pastor at dinner a few weeks ago. We are blessed to have an amazing associate pastor and he is full of Irish humor and wisdom. He is also one of the most widely read men I know. He has a firm grasp of what is happening today as well as historically and of course theologically.
Father Toner recently discussed many topics and one surrounded relationships. It was one of those tangents that came up that blew me away and I asked him to explain. One of the things he talks about is how limited we are in our vocabulary to describe and understand God. One of his gems is that we should pray, “God I love You as You know yourself to Be.”
Think about that!
He also discussed how our Relationships are directly related to our relationship with God. Here are the three keys.
- Relationship with God
- Relationship with self
- Relationship with others
First, our relationship with God must be solid. You must do what… if you said, Spend a Few Minutes with God – the name of this podcast I say, wonderful! Yes! You must spend time with God to have a relationship. Pray, Sing and then wait. Listen. Be still.
Even as a Catholic I have accepted God as my personal savior. The prayer which you can search of online, and I am sure I have spoken about it in earlier podcasts. The scripture sited the most is John 3 where Nicodemus Visits Jesus and they discuss what it means to be born of water and the spirit. Read John 3 it is wonderful.
Basically, you are saying to the Lord,
- Acknowledge sinfulness
- Acknowledge the need for forgiveness
- A belief that Jesus lived and died for our sins
- Agreement to turn away from sin and accept Jesus as our Savior
- Promise the Lord to commit to him and ask for an infilling of the Holy Spirit
- To help me be the kind of person He wants me to be
- And thanking the Lord in Jesus Name, Amen.
A one-time prayer is not the key, the key is a relationship with God and understanding the importance of His saving grace in our lives. The Lord wants us joyous and spirit filled with His love. How can we love others if we do not first love God the source of all love?
Corinthians – The Gift of Love
The second key is the love of self.
Yes, I know this sounds narcissistic – but bear with me. So many people are unhappy and do not understand where their unhappiness comes from. One key indicator is how they think about themselves.
- Do we acknowledge we are a sinner?
- Do we forgive ourselves for past sins?
- Do we realize that if we have asked for forgiveness – for us Catholics that means confessions – that we are, by the grace of God we are forgiven.
- Do we realize that God made us in His image – and that has importance?
- Do we realize God knows the numbers of hairs on your head and held you in his palm before you were born?
We are special friends – God does not make junk. We, if we are Christians and believe are redeemed by the power of the Lamb of God who laid down his life – once and for all for our sins. Not multi times – once. That is all it took.
Just as an aside for those who are listening and are not Catholic – we believe at the Mass we are reliving that one event – the one time that Jesus died at Calvary. We are doing what the Scripture says – “Do this in Memory of Me.” When we receive communion.
We realize friends that we must love the Lord and have a relationship – before we can move on and love ourselves.
And last – love others. This love is an outgrowth of the love flowing through us from the Father, being at peace with ourselves and understanding the having a servants heart an doing for others is a gift.
What about those we can’t love? Pray to God to love them. I have this situation in my own life and the Lord created an amazing healing.
Friends relationships are not easy – we live in a broken world. However, I pray that this helps you to begin to study about ways we can love God and have a relationship with Him, ways we must love and forgive ourselves and ways to love others as God leads us.
I pray that the Lord touches your heart and encourages you by faith and His grace to seek Him in a relationship, to have a relationship with ourselves where we are comfortable with who we are and help us to pour into others in a relationship built upon love, grace, and compassion. And, Lord I pray for those listening that you bless them and hear their prayers …. And I pray this in Jesus Name. Amen
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