Relationships

Could they be any harder? More painful? Yet more joyful and satisfying? For some reason God made each of us to be in relationship with one another and it seems to be the most difficult, yet wonderful thing. Odd, isn't it? Each of us thinks differently, views things differently, and for each of us, our opinion is the right one. So when someone we're in relationship with does something we consider "wrong" or "undesirable", we're offended. How do we work through that? Is that relationship worth saving, so we overlook some things? Or is it so heinous that we have to cut that person out of our lives? Or are we ever "supposed" to cut someone out of our lives? Where is the line where we set a boundary and be true to our own self, yet still realize as we mature, that it's not always about us and what we want and how we feel. Confusing, isn't it? As I get older (and hopefully more mature), I think about these things alot because things change as you age. People move away, get married, have families of their own, switch jobs, even pass away, so your circle of acquaintances changes. That's part of life, I know, but still at times it seems weird. There must be something very important about being in relationship with others, as God has literally mandated that by the very nature of our existence here. Hmmm. Guess I'd better pay good attention to the relationships I have - how important they are to me, which ones empower and support my life, which ones are a negative drain (energy vampires we used to call them in massage school), and which ones are just simply a joy to engage in. Make sure you have some good relationships in your life - cultivate them, work at them - don't feel badly if certain ones don't become or remain as close as you thought - let each walk their own path, but don't walk it alone.