Ruth Ann Polston - Putting Life Into Relationships

Your Destiny Will Be Determined by Your Relationships

Ruth Ann Polston

Putting Life Into Relationships:

Your Destiny Will Be Determined by Your Relationships

Copyright 2011 by Ruth Ann Polston

www.donhpolston.com

The Life That Wins, Inc.

ISBN- 978-1-617-50979-7

All rights reserved

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

All Scripture citations, unless otherwise stated, are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.

Used by permission of Zondervan. All rightsreserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations marked (AMP) are taken fromthe Amplified Bible, Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation.

Used by permission.

Other Books by Ruth Ann Polston:

Ruth Anns Letters: Learning to Walk on Water, Series One

Ruth Anns Letters: Invasion of God, Series Two

Ruth Anns Letters: Going to a New Level, Series Three

Ruth Anns Letters: Out of the Test Tube, Series Four

Ruth Anns Letters: In the Day of Thy Power, Series Five

Putting Life into Relationships

Forth coming books by Ruth Ann Polston:

Release and Forgiveness

Drama Portraits of Bible Women

Also order books by Don H. Polston:

www.donhpolston.com

The Law of Faith... Wins

See It, Say It, Seize It... Its Yours

Like Yourself Unconditionally

The Life That Wins... Yes!

Living Without Losing... Really

There Can Be a New You... Today

Be More Than You Are... Its Possible

Where Theres a Wall, Theres a Way... Always

Tears on the Soul... Refreshing

The Need Stimulates... to Action

Inspirational Strategies... Straight Ahead

Lifes Battles Are Winnable... Yes

The Force of Faith... Creating

The Road to Healing... Step by Step

What Has Separated Your Heart? Find It Again

Start Talking Faith as You Understand It... Today

The Wounded Heart... Restored

To be honest, Im not very experienced in relationships. At least romantic ones. When I saw the title of this book, I figured one of two things would happen: 1) Either I would have no idea what it was talking about, or 2) I would really benefit from it.

I was glued the whole time. And you will be, too. As Ruth Ann moves through all different types of relationships, you will begin to see a theme: We can only have rich, authentic relationships when we surrender them to the Lord. I know it sounds simple, but you will see that surrender is at the core of every God-centered affiliation we have on this earth.

Happy reading!

-Rebekah Faith Bennett, Editor in Chief

Everyone in the world is relational. Ever since God fashioned the first pair, weve all been looking for a counterpart. From our earliest days of play dolls, toy soldiers and pretend playmates, weve all wanted a friend.

Even animals travel in a pack. Our pet dog, a Shih-Tzu named Lady, sleeps with her Teddy Bears and pillows her head on them at night. The same sparrows return every year to a birdhouse in a tree by our kitchen window where we watch the mating and parenting process repeat itself every year.

Looking for a piece of ourselves in another person is latent in our genes.

We inherited a longing from our Father, God, Who is so relational; He created man and then walked with him in the garden in the cool of the day. As inconceivable as it seems, He longs for us and we long for Him. St. Augustine couldnt have said it better: Our souls are restless till they find themselves in Thee.

But we all want someone with skin on who cares if we live or die, if were happy or sadand so throughout our lives well look for those meaningful relationships in which we bond with common interests. Throughout a lifetime we will have had a parade of relationships that make us glad or sad, better or worse, whole or less whole. Our destiny, in a large part, will be determined by our relationships.

I value the roster of relationships that have made me a better person. Solomon said, A friend loveth at all times (Proverbs 17:17). I truly have had friends like that. They loved me in the best and the worst of times.

However, I also value relationships that were less than positive. They have made me a better person too, and I have learned things I could have learned no other way. Often from the less positive relationship you learn more about whats lacking in yourself.

It is my hope and prayer that you will be able to sort outin a new and positive waythe relationship you have known in the past or the ones you know in the present. And I pray you will grow from them.

Is there someone with whom youd like to have a better relationship? Is there someone who sabotages your personhood in a present relationship? Is there a relationship in your past you need to forgive? Do you need to tell someone how meaningful they are to you?

Jesus affectionately called His disciples His friends and His brothers. He said that His Father was their Father and that His God was their God (John 20:17). He stayed relational during His last meal with them; He begged for a relationship in Gethsemane; He was relational on the cross and after the Resurrection. He loved them unto the end (John 13:1).

Jesus remains relational from the Heavenly seat by the Father, and He will one day bring all His relatives home.

May we know a divine essence in our relationships on earth so we may be one as the Father and Son are one (John 17:21). He is not ashamed to call them Brethren (Hebrews 2:11).

Is It Possible?

Is there such a thing as an ideal relationship? Ideal for whom? One persons interpretation of ideal is rarely another persons ideal.

If ideal means seeing everything the same and acting the same as everyone else, then someone is a robot.

Magnetism

We wonder what kind of chemistry it is that magnetizes one person to another. We call it by different names, but we all know when its there and when its not. Whether its in a marriage relationship or any other relationship, we are drawn to certain types of people.

A Makeover

So many of us expect our spouses to be perfect (or what we consider perfection to be!).

This is what we call control. Many times the controller or the controllee isnt aware of what is happening. Then irritation arises. Someone may continue to dominate purposefully while the other forfeits his/her freedom to be a complete person. If maturity overrules and sincere effort is made to work on the ideal of both (and not just one), both are happy. For better or worse is usually left out of our marriage ceremonies today. Maybe worse was calling for too much commitment.

The Ideal

An ideal relationship can only exist when:

There are two people willing to submit to each other.

There are two people willing to give the other person some leeway to be themselves.

There are two people who seek the others good, even above their own.

There are two people who are humble enough to say not only, Im sorry, but also, Im wrong.

There are two people who are confident enough in the relationship that they can give each other space.