Are there relationships beyond repair? Or can faith find a way to rekindle your relationship?
While the world sees romantic love as something that gives meaning to life, we have also witnessed how countless relationships have failed. Some started out so well that couples thought they could never ask for more. Through the years, however, they have realized that a relationship is not at all a bed of roses.
There are many ups and downs when it comes to a relationship. The people involved will face many challenges through the years.
After the initial excitement starts to fade, what can we do to make sure that we can protect our relationship for life?
Faith holds the key that can open the door to a lasting relationship. Even though many people may not see this outright, we can find many testimonies pointing to their faith in God as the anchor that has saved their relationship through the storms of life.
Here are the 7 ways faith can rekindle your relationship:
1. A common ground for unity
It is very important to have a common ground when it comes to relationships. When tough times come, this would define how two people would react and cope.
If they have different beliefs, difficult times may drive them further apart. On the other hand, similarity when it comes to faith can bind people even closer during a crisis.
2. The power of prayer
We should never think that we are alone, even when it comes to our relationships. God watches over us and is always there to help.
Finding time to pray together can help not only to deepen one’s relationship but also to call upon God. God’s grace can help us in many ways that we can’t see.
“Again, [amen,] I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” – Matthew 18:19-20 (NABRE)
3. Security in God’s love
When people experience problems in a relationship, they can feel so disappointed because of failed expectations.
By being secure in God’s love, we can demand less from people and realize that sometimes, what we’re asking for is something that only God can give.
4. Imitating God’s selfless love
By staying close to God, we can learn to imitate Him also, especially when it comes to love.
How does God love? He loves with patience and kindness. He loves even in suffering. We, too, can learn that in order to maintain our relationship, we need to make a sacrifice.
While a relationship can give us happiness, it will eventually fall apart if we do not learn to endure through trying times.
5. Forgiveness
Every person who has ever loved has needed two things: to forgive, and to be forgiven. Without forgiveness, no relationship could ever last.
While forgiveness may be a process, we can start with the intention of letting go of our resentments and starting over again.
6. Seeing the other person through God’s eyes
It is sometimes hard to see beyond another person’s faults. We can be so caught up with the annoyances and irritations that have bothered us through the years that we forget how to see another person in one’s best light.
Try to see the other person through God’s loving eyes. Rekindle your relationship by seeing each other as a blessing rather than a burden in your life.
7. The help of the Church
Your faith can also lead you to the community that the Church provides. In it, you will find people and elder mentors who can give their words of wisdom. There may also be some courses you can take to help restore your relationship.
Rekindling Your Love
Love may be like a dying ember. Only fragments of its warmth may remain after the years.
But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be rekindled.
With God’s help and through your active cooperation through faith, you can restore your fading relationship.
Try to see what made you love each other from the start. Instead of seeing the negative things, see the other person in one’s best light.
Then ask the help of God who is Love Himself and the source of all love. There is nothing impossible with God.
“This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church. In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and the wife should respect her husband.” – Ephesians 5:32-33 (NABRE)
Jocelyn Soriano writes about relationships and the Catholic faith at Single Catholic Writer. She is the author of 366 Days of Compassion, To Love an Invisible God and Mend My Broken Heart.