Healthy CommunicationSample

Not in Your Own Strength

As a young woman, I was incredibly miserable and making others miserable, too. I loved God and wanted to love people, but I just couldn’t stop being cranky and hard to get along with.

Then one day, God showed me the problem: I didn’t like myself because I’d grown up in an abusive home, and I felt guilty, condemned, and ashamed because of it. I had to accept God’s love for me before I could love or communicate well with anyone else.

Now, you may not have a past like mine, but the same principle holds true:

Before you can love others, you have to experience God’s love in your own life—because you can’t give away something you don’t have.

After many years of growing in my relationship with God, now I’m able to receive His love and love others well. I don’t do it perfectly all the time, but I’ve come a long way and am making progress every day. And if He can change me, He can also change you!

If you’re ready to see positive changes in the way you think about and speak to others, I want to encourage you to regularly spend time reading and studying God’s Word and talking to Him.

Even if it’s only for five or ten minutes at first, take some time each day to go over scriptures about His love for you and choose to meditate on them as often as you can.

Also, try taking some time to just sit quietly in His presence and receive His love. Remember, God is love, and when we spend time with Him, we become more like Him!

So, do you want to strengthen your relationships? Do you want to communicate lovingly and effectively, truly enjoy the people in your life...and feel like you’re making a positive contribution to theirs?

It all begins with one step: receiving God’s love.

Pray: “God, I receive Your love, Your grace, and Your strength today. Thank You for working in and through me to extend Your grace to the people around me, and for helping me communicate in a way that shows them how much You love them. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Would you like to learn more about healthy communication? If so, Joyce’s in-depth 10-day study is filled with Biblical principles and practical tips to strengthen your relationships and help you communicate in a loving, effective way. Begin this study today!