Fuzzy Relationships
I like to follow "Annie's Mailbox", the former Ann Landers column. Lovelorn columns have always had special appeal for the general public. I believe that is because they are about relationships, and the quality of our relationships is vitally important to our happiness in our everyday lives. There is something to be learned in every situation.
Relationships are fuzzier than they were a few generations ago, and I think people are less happy because of it. Live-in relationships, which arose as a caution for the marriage-shy, have proven to be a poor precursor to the real thing. The unusually high divorce rate is another indicator of fuzziness. Though divorce has always been around, even in Jesus' day, today's unusually high rates suggest society needs to look more closely at how modern attitudes have contributed to this unwelcome change. Many of today's children have had to learn to live in fuzzy relationships, sometimes with great difficulty.
Certain standards are needed in any lasting relationship, be it friends, family, or spouse. The bonds of closeness and caring are strengthened by honesty, dependability, good communication, helpfulness, and a spirit of giving and forgiving. Strong, healthy relationships warm our days and brighten our lives. We tend to take our good ones for granted. We ought not. We need to tend and nurture them, for they are the source of the greatest earthly pleasure we have, next to the presence of God in our lives.
Happy relationship-building,
Margaret
Relationships are fuzzier than they were a few generations ago, and I think people are less happy because of it. Live-in relationships, which arose as a caution for the marriage-shy, have proven to be a poor precursor to the real thing. The unusually high divorce rate is another indicator of fuzziness. Though divorce has always been around, even in Jesus' day, today's unusually high rates suggest society needs to look more closely at how modern attitudes have contributed to this unwelcome change. Many of today's children have had to learn to live in fuzzy relationships, sometimes with great difficulty.
Certain standards are needed in any lasting relationship, be it friends, family, or spouse. The bonds of closeness and caring are strengthened by honesty, dependability, good communication, helpfulness, and a spirit of giving and forgiving. Strong, healthy relationships warm our days and brighten our lives. We tend to take our good ones for granted. We ought not. We need to tend and nurture them, for they are the source of the greatest earthly pleasure we have, next to the presence of God in our lives.
Happy relationship-building,
Margaret
