Good 2 Great

It has been my experience that every relationship that I have been involved in has endured challenges that have either made the relationship stronger or have resulted in the severing of the tie. As I step back and reflect in some of the many life lessons that I have learned, I am comforted by the fact that I am a better me today because of the many different people that I have encountered along my journey in life.

Some of these people came into my life for only a brief moment, while others are permanent fixtures in my life…Some came only to take from me, yet others never took but only gave to me…Some came to attempt to drown me in my own tears, while others brought the comfort of words that restored and renewed my mind, heart and spirit… Some came to promote and to magnify my fears, while others provoked me to take bold steps toward my destiny.

Recently I have reflected on these truths as they relate to my relationship with my wife. While most people think that we are a “model couple” and that I’m the best husband and father in the world J, but we go through challenges (I like to call them opportunities), just like everyone else. We have a good marriage. Most people would love to have a good relationship. We help each other, compromise on ideas, support each other in the pursuit of our dreams, express our love through actions and through words, worship God together at Church and at home, pray for and with each other etc… That is all good… but good is often the enemy of GREAT.

It is in the moments where we have been faced with tremendous struggle, when we have overcome disappointments, when we have made the decision to be more transparent before each other, that God has allowed us to experience GREATNESS. Just as muscles only grow stronger through strength training (during this process the muscles are “torn” and grow back stronger as they heal), our relationship has only grown stronger when we’ve fought through the pain, fatigue and hurts of life and we chose to love deeper and more genuinely than before.

In many of our relationships, we have settled for just operating in “good” mode. We accept that fact that since nothing is really going “wrong” then we are ok. Every true relationship (which is deeper than just being acquainted with a person) should be one that is growing. You should be promoting growth in others and they should be promoting growth in you or else the relationship is fruitless and stagnant.

Today, as you reflect not only on your relationships with others, but also on your relationship with God, challenge yourself to take your relationship to the next level. There are too many marriages, families, churches etc. on “cruise control”. When you are in “cruise control” you are not fully engaged in your progress. I believe that this is the perfect time to take full control of our relationships and to expand them beyond our comfort zones so that we can effectively demonstrate to the world what true GODLY GREATNESS looks like.

God is ready to demonstrate His Love to the world through our GREAT relationships.

Be Blessed,
B