Welcome to our first talk therapy series of 2022. You all loved the Process & Pray series so much that I’ve decided to bring more series to you throughout the year. I did something crazy and turned my Christmas tree into a Valentine’s tree, so love is fresh on my mind. The February series we are doing is all about restoring relationships.
Key Verse for the month: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Week One: Restore Union Between You and God
It’s the first week in February and chances are many of you have already given up on a new year’s resolutions and I’m curious what you’re thinking about yourself right now.
We can’t practice self-love without seeking God with our whole entire heart, soul, mind, and strength. How can we love others if we don’t first love ourselves? The answer lies in more time seeking God.
Let’s look at our key verse analyzed against our relationship with ourselves. Do you treat yourself kind? With patience? Are you irritable? Resentful?
Action steps for this week:
Ask God what is separating you from Him and be willing to get rid of it
Turn on worship music
Look for the Lord throughout your day in fun way
Read the Bible
Week Two: Restore Union in Your Romantic Relationship
Since today is Valentine’s day, it seemed fitting to dive right into restoring romantic relationships, with the focus on marriage. Marriage was God’s idea and the enemy has been wreaking havoc on it since the beginning of time. Come with me as the Lord steps on our toes about what true love in our marriage or any relationship in our lives should look like. I’m going to move through them slowly. Ask God to highlight any of the areas you need to submit to Him.
Valentine’s Idea:
Consider writing your spouse a note and let them know what God convicted you of in this verse. Write all the things you love about your spouse and what they do well. Tell them how much you love them no matter what.
Fun resource: XO Fitness
Week Three: Restore Union in Your Friendships
Healthy friendships are a treasure. If you find one, you need to hang on to it. But what about when friendships end? It leaves us hurt, raw, vulnerable, and if we aren’t careful, bitter. “If you can’t talk about it, it owns you.” Let’s talk about friendship today so past wounds don’t own us.
A verse I love when it comes to healthy friendships is Proverbs 27:17 – “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
Two questions to ask about friendship:
Do I leave my time with this friend feeling closer to them?
Does this friend draw me closer to God?
Week Four: Restore Union in Your Hard Relationships
This week our topic is your choice.
As I prayed about what the final relationship focus should be, of course, things that were relevant to me came to mind, like kids and extended family members. However, I know many of you listening may not be able to relate to those, so I felt the Holy Spirit say, “Ask them what relationship I want to restore.” And I sense that He is going to ask you to bring up a hard relationship. You know, the one you want to avoid. Before we begin, let’s pause and ask God, “What relationship are you bringing up today?”
The part of our main verse in this series that stuck out to me as being relevant to relationships for today’s episode is that love is not resentful.
Resentment is a sneaky weed that lodges itself into the soil of our hearts without us even knowing it. Sometimes we feel resentment towards someone and we don’t have a solid reason as to why. It likely started with a small weed, something you thought you could just overlook, but that weed has gotten watered every time that person did or said something that struck the same resentment cord. Before we know it, that relationship is being choked by resentment and will eventually die.
To check for resentment in your relationships, ask these questions:
What comes up immediately when I think of this person? If your heart rate speeds up and you get a knot in your stomach (or physical response to a psychological problem) then you might have a root of resentment.
Can you talk about it? If you can’t talk about it, it owns you.
The fix for resentment:
Talk about it. To God, to trusted friends (not gossip), to a therapist, and finally to the person.
Bless and release (day by day)
