#Jesus22 - Daily DevotionalsSample

Cleaning up relationships

Some time ago I read the following saying: “Know yourself well enough to know which people, places, and things to avoid as they would make you revert to the bad habits you have finally got rid of.”

A long sentence. A tough sentence. A true sentence. It's hard to get away from bad things long-term when you go back to your old ways after a long struggle. It's hard to get off drugs; it's even harder to stay off them long-term when you go back to being around the people who had offered them to you for years. It's hard to completely change your diet; it's even harder when you still have your shelf filled with unhealthy things that stare at you every day, literally shouting, "Eat me!"
But it's extremely hard to avoid people. Especially when it comes to people who are close to you. I struggled with this issue myself: I had decided to cut certain relationships and minimize contacts in order to change ways of thinking and behaving in my life. I had to avoid what led me to certain patterns in order to be reshaped. The hard part is that not everyone could relate -- especially the people I was suddenly avoiding.

On the other hand, I also had to experience how a close friend distanced herself from me all of the sudden. I did her no good in her process. A painful experience. And yet necessary for her and for me.
Relationships shape us. Depending on the depth, more or less. Relationships can be healing but also toxic. God created us humans for relationships: "It is not good for man to be alone." Above all, we were created for a relationship with Him. This relationship is the healthiest relationship for us. Nurturing and deepening our relationship with this triune God can in turn help us clean up our relationships in general. Just as many people regularly clean up their Facebook friends list, it is important and good to keep cleaning up human relationships.

ACTION STEP

Write a list of people who are good for you and healthy for you. Which person helps you grow? Who inspires you? Who is not good for you or triggers something in you? Who do you want to intentionally spend more time with or less time with? Then pray for those people and make some dates right now.