RELATIONSHIPS: 13-16

How to Pursue Relational Health

There's a beautiful prayer that begins this section seeking "to grow to rest in the truth that the Lord is our True Refuge. Asking our Lord to change us and help us walk forward, one step at a time - in obedience to Him as we work on developing deep, caring RELATIONSHIPS without being bound to our fear and insecurity based on how people need or want us. Not wanting to use people or be used but learning how to love them because the Lord loves us & we can be secure in Him.

DAYS 13 through 16

 

Day 13: Ask God to Reveal Your Heart's Pain & Sin - Ps. 139:23-24

Day 14: Admit Your True Fears - Ps. 142:1-4

Day 15: Connect with Spiritual Family - 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8

Day 16: Renew Your Thinking about Relationships and Love - Romans 12:2

I have divided days 13-21 for this section into 2 different blog posts: this one will cover just these days (13-16) and my next blog post will cover days 17-21 - all these days are about "How to Pursue *Relational Health". 

For me personally, I believe that this is the most important part and where I need the most work and/or change. So I am hoping that by lessening the amount of days, I will spend more time unpacking the verses and understanding what God reveals and honestly deal with myself and my RELATIONSHIPS. 

 

Day 16 "... How do we renew our minds?"..."First, we commit to reading and meditating on God's Word so that it has a home in us (Col. 3:16) ...  2nd "... We resist and flee influences that corrupt our thought life. We toss out anything that soils our minds with selfishness, lust, fear, anger, or unbelief; we cut off paths to ungodly supply sources that keep our sinful thoughts nourished. The more we're washed in the Word of God, the easier it becomes to recognize when pollution has entered in. ... " "Act: What steps do you need to take to have God's Word dwell in you more deeply?"

I find it's helpful to define terms (and this is not from the devotional book):

* “Relational health refers to the capacity to develop and sustain safe, stable and nurturing relationships, which in turn prevent the extreme. or prolonged activation of the body's stress response systems.” Garner. 2021. 

... and Why it's important?

"Relational health focuses on establishing and maintaining meaningful relationships with self, other individuals, groups and communities and develops from our interactions and connections with others. Having a network, grounded in supportive relationships, can help create feelings of satisfaction and security." (Resource)

A Special Day Plan of a Trip, Prayer & Thanks

TRIP PLAN: Jazz Fall Cruise on the St. Croix

As I begin this day of celebration of the 68th year of my life on a glorious autumn SONday (hoping for some warm sun here in Minnesota, which has steadily been dropping in temperatures this past week and the chill is on)… I believe that the author of this Birthday Prayer, when she shared this on her birthday, gave us permission to share with others too. I wanted to wait and add to some very special people's birthday cards first, as she suggested but since my birthday fell on a Sunday, I just couldn't wait and had to pray today to my Precious Lord -

PRAYER

October 9, 2022 "Lord, I love You, and I bless Your name. Thank You God that You love me with an everlasting love, and that You know the number of hairs on my head. You know everything about me, Lord. You know when I stand up and sit down. Thank You, Lord, for loving me and forgiving me. Thank You for the finished work of the cross. Thank You for the blood of Christ which was shed for me. Lord, I commit this year to You. I pray that You will order my steps, grant me divine opportunities, divine introductions, and divine relationships. Be in it all. Please go ahead of me and prepare the way, and that You will be my rear guard. Oh Father, You are so kind and so good, and I’m so grateful for that. Please give me grace to glorify You and enjoy You in whatever You ordain for me today and this coming year. Help me to grow in all the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, meekness, and self-control. Help me, Lord, to be obedient to You. Help me to know You more. Stir in my soul a desire to read Your Word, to know You and to pray. Create in me a deep hunger and an abiding desire to read Your Word so that I can know You, the Author of salvation. Help me not to grow weary in well doing. When I get a bad attitude help me to snap out of quickly. Help me not to dwell on negative or critical thoughts, Father, but remind myself that there is another way to look at things, and that my mind is renewed and transformed as I read Your Word. Thank You that I am not the same person I was…I am a new creature, a new creation, and I can think with a renewed mind, because I have the mind of Christ. Bless me today and this year, and make me a blessing to those around me. I pray Your covering and protection over me Lord God. May no weapon formed against me prosper or succeed. May every tongue that rises up against be shown to be in the wrong. Thank You Lord that I have peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition as my heritage as a servant of the Lord. As Your Word says in Psalm 139, You chart the path ahead of me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head. Your strength supports me. Thank You God for blessing me. I am grateful for You. I pray this year You will enable me to rest in the finished work of the Cross and to rest in Your love and all that You have accomplished for me. Help me to be not just a hearer of Your Word but a doer of Your Word. So even as I rest, help me to do the works You have for me to do, but let it come from a place of abiding rest and a deep love and gratitude to You. Never acts of works, because I can never earn Your love; You love me with an everlasting love. I pray Your blessing on me this year. Thank You Father for Your faithfulness and Your kindness. You are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness. Lord You are so good. Thank You for all You’ve done for me, for all You are for me, and thank You for blessing me today on my birthday. In the strong name of Jesus, amen." (from Julie Gillies, author, "A Birthday Prayer")

THANKS

I also add a very special THANKS to God for a sweet sister (in Christ & of the heart)💚 who never forgets me; even sent this on my "birthday eve" -

 a tradition she started in her own family

 

 ...and also two more sisters: one - my biological sister; & the other - another sister in Christ here in MN. The ripple keeps growing of special birthday friends, sisters in Christ and loved ones, who add blessings to my life on this day. 

Yet the sweet sis 💚 I give thanks for - in the very beginning, never forgot me, even in Mexico, when I needed someone the most, she was there! She is one of the kindest and the Best sister ever! My words, thoughts and prayers are hardly enough to express my gratitude to God for this truly remarkable gift that keeps giving, just like Jesus! 

And thanks to Julie G. also for her gift of this prayer and many other prayers she shares in her books (and in other social media sites). I am blessed by her writing and prayers as an author and she doesn't even know me.

Since I have shared parts of the JESUS LISTENS prayers on this blog this year, I also want to share the Prayer given on this day from another book that I have been reading all this year, The Divine Romance (by Brian Simmons and Gretchen Rodriguez) on the Song of Songs, The Passion Translation(TPT). On this day in the 365 days of meditating, I am reading in the Song of Songs - chapter 6: verse 11 in TPT the last devotion of 3 on that verse, which is "Maturing Love" {I gladly receive this}. I am just sharing the Prayer that follows this beautiful devotion:

Extra PRAYER

"... Lord, fill me with Your desire. Stir my heart for those who have never stirred my heart before {or still have not come to accept You as their Savior & King}. Ignite me with zeal to see others grow in their {spiritual} identity. Release Your insights for those I encounter, so I can be a blessing to them and see them blossom in their *RELATIONSHIP with You.

I add this to the above Birthday Prayer to my Lord, Savior & King(the parts in {...} are my own addition, of course I add much more)* my 2022 One Word

May Your Love Mature more in me in the years that You, Lord still give me; and when those years end here on earth, may others acceptYour Ultimate Love and I pray receive Eternal Life.I give You all glory, thanks & praisethat I do receive You & Your Giftof Eternal Salvationin Jesus Christforevermine
💗💗💗

Forever Yours
💙 Peggy 💙