How to Bring Order to Your Relationship

There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to maintaining a healthy relationship. You are on a team. You are still an individual. Your emotions matter and need to be expressed. The same is true for your partner. You need to extend grace and hold each other accountable. You need to share life but not be codependent. You need conflict as well as forgiveness. The swirl of factors to consider can make relationships frustrating, compound problems, and cause two people who otherwise care about one another to drift apart.

To be clear, all of these variables are important. And all of them are equally important. This is beautiful and complex, but it is also frustrating. Most of our relational conflict happens when one person is focusing on one valuable aspect (such as being heard) while the other is focusing on another (such as how to improve the circumstance). There is a time and place for it all. So, ordering your relationship is not about prioritizing which is most important and which is most expendable. It is about comprehending that the best way to set yourself up for success is to be mindful of the flow.