Healthy Friendshipsਨਮੂਨਾ

HEALTHY FRIENDSHIPS - 7 DAY PLAN | DAY SIX | THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

Got a situation in your life that everyone knows is there, but no one wants to talk about it?

Yep, that giant elephant in the room, that everyone avoids talking about, tiptoes around, but never deals with, even though it makes the room feel so suffocating that no one is happy and everyone lives on eggshells. Why do we do it?

Well, I guess some of us don’t want confrontation, others find it too painful, others fear not being heard, or losing a relationship because of it, and others use the elephant in the room to intimidate or manipulate others.

Whatever the reason, the room is never going to be comfortable until that thing is acknowledged and dealt with, which means that you are enslaved by it and robbed of your peace.

In the Bible, Matthew 18 15-17 NIV says:

15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Are you brave enough to confront the elephant in your room?

Be prepared for hard conversations by first praying and then choosing to listen. Hold the person's hand and look them in the eye. Be willing to lovingly and gently give and receive genuine feedback, too, without being defensive.

Use “I” statements and own them...for example; “I feel shut down when you yell at me instead of talking things through”. And above everything else, saturate the relationships involved with authentic love and kindness.

Now, go kick that elephant out of the room!