8 Relationship Resolutions for 2018

This is the time of year we all make our New Year’s resolutions. Most resolutions are all about ME, and very self-focused. We proclaim, I am not going to do this, I am not going to do that… I am not going to eat this, I am going to eat that… I am not going to stress out anymore, I am going to take more spa days… I am going to lose those ten pounds! The gym is always goober crowded in January and starts to die down in February, and by March the place is back to normal. I saw this happen year after year.

What if this year we make resolutions we could easily stick with? What if we focused on our relationships and building better connections? What if we made it about others?  Now there’s a resolutions list I can get behind. How about you?

8 Relationship Resolutions:

• 1. Say – Say, I love you, I’m sorry, and I was wrong. Use those words often. Communicate to others how much you love them…say it with me, I love you, I love you, I love you. Get used to hearing those words release from your lips. Move on to, I’m sorry, I was wrong. Those words convey value. Be more concerned about relationships than always being right. Being right is grossly overrated. Use words to convey others value by being willing to admit being wrong and express love often with your words.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps not records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

-1 Cor. 13:4-7

• 2. Adapt An Other Mindset – Instead of thinking, What’s in it for me? Adapt a mindset of, How can I help? This world is bursting with people asking, What’s in it for me? Me, me, me, me! What do I get? Instead ask, What can I give? Put yourself second, change Me first to Me last.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”

-Matt. 16:24-25

• 3. Wear Others Shoes – It is so easy to see things from our own perspective. Try on another’s perspective and consider their path as if you were in their shoes. Be willing to consider the opinions of others and be open to changing your view. Even the smartest people can be wrong at times, or often even.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

-Phil. 2:3-4

• 4. Calendar People – We calendar important events. Why not calendar those people who are most dear to us? Calendar date nights. Calendar a board game with your seven-year-old. Calendar a regular coffee date with a friend. We tend to fill up our calendar with important things and sometimes miss the most important things. Make sure your calendar reflects your heart.

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

-Romans 12:10

• 5. Listen – Be quick to listen. Sometimes the kindest act we can perform is to give a listening ear. I know my hurts have been healed by being heard from another who cares. Help heal others by listening. Look for opportunities to lend an ear.

…“Love your neighbor as yourself”…

-Mark 12:31

• 6. Laugh At Yourself – Laugh at yourself instead of being offended when someone makes a joke about you, laugh at it, it takes the power away. Laughter is contagious. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

-Romans 15:5-6

• 7. Think Of Others – Thinking of ourselves comes easy. Thinking of others takes strategic thoughtfulness. Upon opening your eyes in the morning, ask God to help you see the needs of others.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

-Mark 10:45

• 8. Talk Last – Instead of being the one to start talking, be the one to ask how others are doing first. Yes, words are powerful, and silence can be just as powerful.

Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.

-Romans 15:2

Are you in a rocky marriage?

Having trouble with a friendship?

Not getting along with one or more of your children?

Begin 2018 with these 8 Relationship Resolutions and watch your relationships blossom.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, make 2018 your best year ever!

Fondly,

Lu

Want to get to work going from ME to WE? Order Lucille Williams book now “From Me to We: A Premarital Guide for the Bride- and Groom- to- Be.” Need a speaker for 2018? Contact Lu today. For regular updates give us your email address in the subscribe button.