I'd often say, "relationships are hard to handle". And, I believe that when a person has too many friends, (s)he don't really have a genuine one. Why? Because if we can't even maintain a good relationship with a family member or the closest friend we have because of their flaws and all, how much more that many? Too many irrational conduct to put up with. We'd even often complain about certain behavior of a friend. And, when they touch a vulnerable part of us, we simply dump them as if they'd never done us anything right. Then, bland things will be said about them from our very own mouth. It's that convenient to spread around tattles to even the score. Only for one offense, which could be, in fact, only our own perspective, we can easily vilify them. A terrible habit of injuring another being only because we are too coward to fix misunderstanding through proper communication. How vicious.
"You have to walk on eggshells for people because that’s about how strong they are these days. And you can’t confront people, because if you do, that brittle shell of confidence will crack. So we all become passive cowards that carry a fake smile wherever we go."
...Makes me sad.
But, I am choosing to be different. To love different. If a relationship matters to me, I will make a choice to be true to it. Whatever that may be, which I don't like about another...whatever a person might have done, which hurt me...they will know or hear directly from me. An effort will be made to salvage the friendship. Whatever it takes. Ridiculous as it sounds. May appear unpopular even, but I will. My stand is this: relationship is of high importance to God. If it isn't, He couldn't have sent Jesus to suffer here on Earth and die the way He did just because GOD wants to restore our relationship with Him and with His people. If relationship isn't important to God, I don't think there's any warrant for the tolerance and patience He extends to us everyday for our small and big failings. In fact, we always make a choice to hurt Him. We know what hurts Him, but we can simply shrug off the idea that we shouldn't hurt Him. Yet, we do, with our decisions. The wonderful thing is, He also makes a choice EVERY SECOND to forgive and let go of the pain we cause Him. And, the more amazing thing is this... He knows exactly what we're gonna do the next moment... He knows we'll fail... He knows we're gonna hurt Him again... He knows how wicked we are inside... He knows who we really are... Be that as it may, He still accepts us, forgives us, and loves us.
If I will have to find a reason why I should deny myself and my own rights merely to save a relationship with another person, it is more than enough motivation that God shows me how by unconditionally loving me. Undeserving as I am.
People find it hard to forgive when the person who hurt them never apologized or never proved to be repentant. What I have in mind is... when God forgave all my sins... when He thought of restoring His relationship with me by sacrificing an innocent man... He didn't wait nor expect that I apologize first. He just did. Now, why must I require anyone to utter the word "sorry" before I can forgive? It used to be hard, I must admit. But I realized it's effortless to do anything if I live under God's grace. Whenever I look at the cross, I am humbled. For the truth is, I am not worthy of love, especially, not the kind of love that God readily gives me.
What I do is, I'd always look at my state. The real condition of my heart. Who I truly am behind the closet. I see things about me nobody else knows but God. Then, it sinks in to me how God always have to put up with who I am. He never said, "I don't like you anymore", nor did He just stay far away and have nothing to do with me. He can always opt to. In stead, He showers me with more love and compassion. He sees my state and He offers me a new self so I can become beautiful from ugly...fragrant from stinky. So, I tell myself... LOVE makes everything beautiful. If we only learn to love one another, we can have this strong desire to beautify each other. We see a crack, but we don't walk away. An urge within drives us to adorn our brother until the crack is fully covered.
Although, we are unsightly in God's eyes because of our sins, He still sees the beautiful in us. And, I believe that the very reason why there's such a thing as LOVE is so that beauty will be seen in us. LOVE doesn't make us blind to the disagreeable. It just covers the bad, the ugly, so we can only experience the good and the pleasing.
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