Relationship Rules
How to See the Best in Others
March 19, 2023 • Seth Bartal • Romans 5:6–8, Romans 12:9–10, Romans 12:14, Romans 12:17–21
Have you ever been mislabeled? Maybe someone made a snap judgement about you, and it was categorically wrong? Or maybe you’ve been trying to overcome a label that was true in your past but isn’t true in your present? Regardless, even though labels can be helpful, improperly applied labels have the power to devalue us and create strain in our relationships. And ironically, even though we’ve been mislabeled in our past, we’re awfully good at mislabeling others. So how do we overcome wrong labels? How do we properly label others so we can see one another as God sees us?
How to Reduce Conflict
March 19, 2023 • Seth Bartal • Ephesians 4:17–18, Ephesians 4:22–27, Ephesians 4:29–32, Ephesians 5:1–2, Colossians 3:14
In every relationship we have expectations and desires for the other person - some are expressed but many are not. It’s when our expectations and desires are unmet that relational conflict comes into play because we’re experiencing a gap between what we expect and what they delivered. Gaps are inevitable in our relationships, but what we fill the gap with has the power to ignite conflict or bring about relational closeness.
How to Make My Relationships Stronger
March 5, 2023 • Seth Bartal • Colossians 3:1–2, Colossians 3:12–14
As much as we are all relational beings, it’s ironic that we all tend to struggle, at times, with our relationships. More often than not, our temptation in the midst of relationship challenges is to point a finger of blame at the other person for causing the tensions we’re experiencing; we react rather than responding appropriately. But what if there were some attitudes we could embrace that would open the door to stronger, healthier relationships? How might God show up and move us in a different direction?