Thankful: Day 20 [Refining Relationships]

Marriage, children, family, extended family, close-knit community.  These relationships are so good, and yet, at the very same time, these relationships are the ones that have the potential to drive us off the wall in a matter of nanoseconds.  The closer we get to people, the more friction we are likely to experience.  

I'd guess that a large majority of frustration in these tight-knit relationships comes because we want other people to be all about us.

Examples (Not that these have ever really happened):

I don't want to be embarrassed in public by my fussy (sweet, but fussy) toddler.  Can't he understand that mommy needs to look like she has it all together in the parenting department?  Not to mention that I really just don't want to bother with his behavior.  So, really, Henry's behavior (in my mind) becomes not about him, or about God, but about me.

Or, I am pregnant (if you haven't gathered that).  Therefore I must not do any work if Matt someone else is available to do it for me.  And clearly, I should never have to ask him to help me- I thought I married a mind reader?  Obviously it's okay for me to feel like a great injustice has been done to me when I have to bend over (pregnant) and pick up Henry's blocks and sippy cups.  Can't Matt SEE that I am pregnant?  Nevermind all the work he's got going today. This is about me.  I AM PREGNANT.

I'm thankful for these relationships today for a specific reason, and that reason is this: These relationships serve as a reminder (a sometimes inconvenient reminder) that the world does not revolve around me but around Someone greater than me.  So when I feel the friction- when I find myself unjustifiably (or in rare cases, justifiably) frustrated- with the people that God has placed closest to me, I can move my attention from myself  (and my supposed unmet needs) to Jesus and find the freedom that comes when I choose to revolve around Him instead.

If I do not want to be miserable and angry, then these relationships force me not to dwell on all of my unmet needs, and instead dwell on Jesus, who died in my place and met all of my eternal needs.  They force me to ignore "injustices" done to me and concentrate on the grace of God towards me.  Then I am free to truly love, forgive, and enjoy these people that God has placed in my life- so that hopefully they, too, can revolve around Him.

If I do want to be miserable, I could continue to insist that all these people revolve around me, but who wants to be miserable?

Thank God that He is greater than me.  It's worth it to center my life around Him.  And thank you, Lord, for these refining relationships.