StuckSample

It’s easy to feel stuck in a cycle or pattern in a relationship. The longer we know someone, the more likely we are to develop patterns in how we interact with them. While some of those patterns can be healthy and helpful, like making a habit of checking in, or finding new ways to serve the other person, or even just offering words of love and support, other patterns can be more harmful. A pattern of fighting over the same things, of using harsh words, of unhealthy behaviors and habits—those things can not only be detrimental to us, but they can also be detrimental to the relationship as a whole. If we stay stuck in those patterns, the relationship will never change.

So what do we do? Take a tip from Paul’s letter to the Romans for starters. We can make peace the most important pattern in the relationship. In every word, every interaction, every choice, we can ask ourselves, “How can I prioritize peace in this relationship?” We can’t control the other person; we can only control ourselves. And with that self-control, we can do whatever is in our power to choose peace. That’s the first and best step we can take to get unstuck from unhealthy patterns in our relationships.

This week, memorize this verse. Use it as a prayer over the relationships you feel stuck in. Ask God to help you do what’s in your power to break bad cycles by choosing peace.