Invest in Relationships

0Maia • 14th Apr 2011 • Random Specials, Today's Special • 30-day-challenge, personal growth

This is day 4 of the blog challenge sponsored by my husband and I almost missed it!

We have a close friend who celebrates his birthday today and he thanked everyone who made his life wonderful. He’s in his mid thirties now, and what struck me most was how important he noted of the relationships he built over the past thirty-X years. Not just with his family, but friends, colleagues, community too. The other day, my husband and I were talking about how we can invest more in relationships. You see, we’re not perfect. We need a couple more lessons on how to invest in relationships and keep them and we know it. Not just a one off, it’s a phase, we’re done thing, but real, genuine, and lasting relationships.

Unlike my earlier days into the blog challenge, I don’t have a list of what I’ve done to share with you. Again, I need a couple more lessons myself. But I recognize that I have a lot of role models I can look up to, our friend being one. So this is more of a ‘note to self’ post, rather than ‘I did this’ post.

From church, to work, to family, here are my observations from the people I believe are champions in investing in great relationships. I can only hope and try my best to learn these and apply them myself, so that one day, when I look back to my life, I can say that I’ve invested well.

• Overlook each other’s faults
• Be genuinely interested in each other’s life
• Listen to each other and not judge
• Accept each other and let go of things not in your control
• Forgive each other and forget the hurt
• Don’t compare yourselves
• Be emphatic, not a critic
• Share your life with each other
• Don’t be afraid to be yourself
• Give each other a chance to know themselves
• Spend time together
• Know each others’ dreams and fears
• Pray for each other
• Celebrate with each other

I don’t know how to perfectly execute all these into one perfect recipe but I know that it’s really worth it to invest in relationships. It’s like magic. I also don’t know if my observations are enough, I’ll know soon. And though I know I need hard work given my state now, I pray that I have the wisdom to know, and the will to do these so I can say that I’ve had great relationships. That in the end, I may glorify God who invested in me.