Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Restoring Broken Relationships

Relationships are at the core of what it means to be human. Nobody wants to live life alone, nobody wants to live life without warm, loving relationships. Where do we get this strong desire for relationships? We get it from God. We were created in God’s image and God Himself consists of a relationship between the three persons of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So God created us to have a loving relationship with Himself and to have loving relationships with other people. Whether you’re a believer or not, every human being has the innate desire to have those two basic relationships with God and with people. Today I’m going to focus on our relationships with other people, but your relationship with God is actually the most important.

Last week we talked about Growing Together In A Life Group, building relationships with new people. Each of us needs to learn to build the relationships in our lives that God has blessed us with. NLT Philippians 2:1-2 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose. There you have God’s will for the family of God, we should agree wholeheartedly with each other, we should love one another and we should work together with one heart and purpose. Those three things are also God’s will for your family, agreeing with one another, loving one another and working together with one purpose.

Yet sometimes things go wrong and relationships that were once warm and close become cold and distant. Relationships that were once loving become broken. What should you do when a relationship becomes broken? Should you just give up on it? Look elsewhere for a new one? I believe that relationships are worth salvaging, so today I’m going to talk about How To Restore Broken Relationships. Those who restore broken relationships are peacemakers because broken relationships lead to conflict arguments and fights.

NLT Matthew 5:9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. The blessing of God is upon those who work for peace the blessing of God is on those who restore broken relationships. They will be called the children of God. Why? Because peacemakers are acting like their heavenly Father who made peace with us through the death of Jesus. So now lets see what God’s Word teaches about how to restore broken relationships in your life.

Think about the relationships in your life. Some may be going good, but there may be others that are strained or completely broken. Keep the one in mind that is the biggest problem in your life right now as we look at God’s Word.

To hear more about this topic, listen to my June 11, 2006 message entitled How To Restore Broken Relationships via

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Healing a broken heart




There is no such thing as a broken heart-only a heart that is learning to love more and better.

Realizing that your heart isn't damaged is a relief. But when you're desperately trying to let go of a former mate, and you're in emotional agony, this bit of wisdom is cold comfort. Many say they can feel a physical aching in the chest that can last for weeks and even months. An inability to hear love songs on the radio without crying is common. At worst, those struggling through a break-up can't stand to be alone, and avoid places where they might see their ex. Conversely, they might even arrange to run in" to their former flame.

Why do we find it so hard to release when a relationship ends? We get emotionally attached when we fall in love. Emotional attachment is wonderful when the relationship is in full bloom, but a great source of pain when the romance is over. Emotional attachment is responsible for much angst, from jealousy to endless mooning over the lost love, to an inability to move on. Once you finally break the attachment, you have a pleasant neutrality towards the former object of your attachment. You know you're over him when you can see him with another woman and not feel a surge of emotion. It's not that you wish him ill; you simply no longer see why you were so hung up on him to begin with.




There are three steps you can take to expedite the process of release and be free of the pain. If you start practicing them immediately, you may find yourself getting on with your life and experiencing a heady freedom by tomorrow.

Step One: Release Constantly. Be aware of how often you think of your former love after the break-up. For example, something may trigger a memory, or a friend may ask how the two of you are doing. Perhaps you go so far as to maintain contact deliberately with his friends and family in hopes of rekindling the flame. Your ex is a point of reference for you. You wonder what he would think of your new haircut, or what she's up to. You may torment yourself imagining her involvement with someone else.

This pattern of thinking is not helpful to you, and it needs to stop. You should cease an behavior that keeps you hanging on. There is a magic inrelease. If you are meant to be with her, nothing can keep you apart. For now, you need to disengage. Releasing is not something you can fake. You have to really let go. Letting go may expedite her coming back to you, but you can't do it for this reason. She is not with you now, and that reality must be faced.

How to Release: Cease any behavior that propels you toward her. No more phone calls. Avoid places you may see her if possible. You also need to quit thinking about her and imagining a reunion. Every time you start thinking of her, say (either out loud or silently), "I release you to your highest good. I am free now." As you let go, a strange thing will happen. The Universe will begin to support you. Synchronistic events and spontaneous good will arise to distract you or pull you in another direction. Repeat this release, even if you have to do it dozens of times a day. Because you will be getting positive results, it will become easier and easier to do.

Step Two: Focus on Your Life Vision. It is said that what you look for in another is only yourself. Refocus on your own life when you're plagued with thoughts of your ex-loves. This is healing. As you go through the grieving that is natural upon a break-up, begin to open to a vision of your life as you want it. Include not only the perfect relationship but also your life's mission and most importantly, an image of you at your best-in your power and flourishing, living your life to the fullest. Each time you begin to think of your former love, set these thoughts aside and instead contemplate the vision you've begun to create of yourself. Rather than falling into despair or plotting how to get her back, do something concrete to begin making this vision a reality. Your time is better spent, and this refocusing forces you back into honoring your highest self.




Step Three: Dissolve the Pain. Both of the previous steps will help you handle the pain of emotional release. However, if you have had other wounds in your life, you have built up a large emotional "pain body" that has been reactivated by this break-up. It is time to dissolve this pain body so that you'll never experience such deep loss again. Do this by allowing yourself to feel all of the pain you have stored up inside. Know that tears are healing, a release in and of themselves. Allow yourself to sob in the shower. Embrace the part of you that is inconsolable. Instead of fighting the pain in your heart (and any other physical symptoms), let them be, accepting them fully as part of your healing.

As your pain body is dissolved, begin a practice that will keep you free from storing up more pain in the future. Teach yourself to not take on any new pain. To do this, you must change your perspective. First, know that no one is trying to hurt you. They're doing the best they can, and are simply showing you their limits of their insensitivity. This will help you to quit taking things personally and to forgive.

Secondly, quit feeding your pain. Many of us-especially those we would label "drama queens" (and kings)-need to experience pain in order to feel alive. For others, much of our identity is wrapped up in being a victim. The next time you begin feeling pain, catch yourself. Tell yourself, "I'm thinking of him again." The simple act of noticing how you feed your pain will begin to dissolve it immediately. Next, do whatever is necessary to not let the pain mushroom into a full-blown despair. You may need to distract yourself or remember all the good you have in your life.

As you dissolve your pain body and learn new patterns, your release will go very quickly. You will propel yourself into states of happiness and peace you didn't know existed.

Not only will this break-up not kill you, but it may be the best thing that ever happened to you. The pain of a break-up can push you into a world of magic, of release and of healing that you otherwise might not have entered. And even though you may think your ex is the be-all, end-all, of your life, undoubtedly there is more love, even better love right around the corner.






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A broken hearts prayer




Dear Lord, how could he have done this to me? How could he forget his promises? How could he throw away in a moment all the things we have built all these years? How could he break my heart? Was it my fault? Was it me Lord? Tell me where I have gone wrong. Show me my sins, flash them before me so I may know. For I do not understand how all these things can be happening right now. I do not understand how something so good can suddenly end up the way it is today. We were so happy, Lord. We were so in love we have not a care in the world. It was just him and me, the two of us, and it was enough, probably more than enough. He was your gift to me, and I to him. We complement each other, we share so many things in common, it is to him that I opened up my heart. It is he Lord whom I trusted with all my heart.

How then can he break it so? How can he betray our love? How can he suddenly say he doesn’t love me anymore? It seemed not so long ago when we would simply walk hand in hand along the beach, when we would share a slice of pizza and be satisfied just the same, when we would gaze at the evening sky and count the stars, content of what we had, certain that it would last forever like the millions of stars in the sky. I believed in forever. Now I don’t know anymore. I know nothing anymore. Can love be lost in an instant? Can true love really just fade away? I am so broken deep within me Lord I do not know if I can still piece together every shattered part of me.

My friends say that it will heal in time. They say I should busy myself with this and that, date with this guy and that guy. But I don’t know Lord. Are these the things that can make me believe in love once again? Are these the things that can relieve this pain I feel in my heart? I am not only hurting, Lord. I feel so angry that I couldn’t do anything to avenge myself for this kind of suffering I do not deserve. Do I not deserve true love Lord? Do I not deserve loyalty, sincerity and respect? He makes me feel so bad, Lord. He makes me feel so bad about myself. I built my whole world around him, and he took it all away. I built my self esteem upon his admiration, and he trampled upon it as though it were trash. How can he not feel guilty for what he has done? How can he suddenly be so happy now in the arms of another woman? How can I ever build my world again? How can I ever be happy once more?

Please help me Lord, I really don’t know what to do. Only your words can comfort me. Only your embrace can soothe my pain. I have given everything I could my Lord, and there is nothing more I can give. I kneel before you now, crushed and broken, empty and afraid to be alone. Hide me under your wings, hold me in your loving arms. Say unto me again how much you love me. Say unto me that you have called me yours and you will never ever let me go. Though men may fail, you remain faithful, steadfast and immovable as a rock. Though men may judge me for all the faults they see in me, you see my heart and reveal to me the beautiful soul you see in me. Help me to let go of my pain, teach me to forgive those who do not even ask my forgiveness. This burden is something I shouldn’t carry in my heart. This trouble is not something I should trade away my peace for. I know that I have been done wrong, the things that have happened had been so unfair. Sometimes life’s like that. Many things in this life really seem so unfair. But let me not continue being unfair to myself. Let me not punish myself anymore for the things others have done.




I offer unto you my wounded heart, my broken heart. I know it is you my Lord who will uphold me in the end. Let me not lose hope. Let me not cast away everything that’s good and beautiful in this life. I know that there is so much more in store for me. I know how much love I can still give away because it is you who fills me with everything that I’ll ever need. You are the one who loves me truly, eternally, unconditionally. You are the one who has always been there for me and always will be there for me. You are my one true love. You are my forever. You are my strength and my peace and my joy. Surely in your presence Lord, I do not need anything more.




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Impact of a broken family on children

“Broken” Homes: The Effect of Divorce on Children


Going through a divorce is a very difficult situation to be in. Usually it is what is happening between the parents, that concerns most people. However hurtful divorce is on the couple that is going through it, the children end up with the greatest amount of problems. These problems that the children develop are not always obvious, and do no always come to the surface right away.

“Most often the children responded to the announcement [of the divorce] with apprehensiveness or anger . . . Several children panicked . . . finally, a great many of the younger children, about one-third of the entire group, didn’t really believe what they had been told. For these youngsters, the single announcement by the parents made it easier for them to pretend that the divorce would soon go away and to postpone their own response to the frightening changes in their lives” (Wallerstein 40-41).

Children often try to stop the divorce of their parents, but there are many who seem to accept it at first. These who seem to accept it may even tell their parents that they are happy about the divorce. This is not necessarily the case, as one would see if he or she spoke with the child for a while. There are many things that divorce does to a family, and there are many things that is does to the child. These effects are rarely positive, or helpful depending upon the family’s prior situation. Divorce has many negative effects on the psychological, and social aspects of a child’s life.

There are many psychological aspects of a child’s life that change when his or her parents go through a divorce. As previously mentioned by the writer, a child may not show initially how he or she feels about the divorce, but the true feelings of that child eventually surface. Joan B. Kelly, in an article for the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry says, “children incorporate repertoires of angry, impulsive, and violent behavior into their own behavior as a result of observing their parents’ responses to frustration and rage” (4). This is something that many children that witness the divorce of their parents go through. The child naturally looks to his or her parent or parents for the example of how to handle certain situations and emotions. During a divorce there is much anger and aggression that is expressed by one or both parents of that child. This is not healthy for the child to witness for several reasons. One of the main reasons is that the child sees this example of aggression that his or her parents are setting, and he or she begins to react in the same manner. Anger and aggression tend to become the child’s tools for solving his or her problems. The child becomes like the parents and could cause harm to others because of not knowing or understanding how to control these feelings. He or she may often violently lash out at those around him or her that cause these feelings to occur.

“The severity of fighting has been documented in many studies to have a central role. High-intensity fighting is associated with more insecure attachments and anxiety in infants and toddlers. In older children and adolescents, severity of conflict had the largest and most consistent impact on children’s adjustment, with intense conflict leading to more externalizing (disobedience, aggression, delingquency0 and internalizing (depression, anxiety, poor self-esteem) symptoms in both boys and girls, compared with children experiencing low-intensity conflict” (3).

This leads to the next psychological effect that divorce has on children. Depression is a major effect that divorce has on children. This is not necessarily something that occurs during the divorce, but has major effects on the later life of the child. “A high level of marital conflict experienced during childhood has been linked to more depression and other psychological disorders in young adults, compared with those reporting lower levels of family conflict during childhood” (Kelly 3). Lora Heims Tessman, author of Children of Parting Parents says, “most of the adolescents were overly depressed . . . many had conscious suicidal thoughts . . . a minority showed increased acting out with self-destructive components, but without anxious depression” (327). These are common psychological effects of divorce on children.

There are also many social effects that divorce has on children. The child often feels unconnected to his or her peers. He or she feels “unable to make or maintain friendships and complained about being ‘unconnected’ to [his or her] peers” (Tessman 327). Also contributing to feeling unconnected to their peers is that “in numerous studies over the past three decades, divorced children have been reported to be more aggressive and impulsive and to engage in more antisocial behaviors, compared with matched samples of never-divorced children” (Kelly 6). The divorce that these children experience causes them to act and react in ways that are not considered socially acceptable, and distancing themselves from their peers. “Diagnostically, the adolescents varied greatly, but did share a number of clinical features. The great majority had either lost a previous enjoyment or learning or were, increasingly, cutting and failing classes” (Tessman 327). The children of these divorced families have become so mixed up that they do not know who they are any longer. Things that they once loved or enjoyed, things that they were once interested in no longer matter to them.

Going along with socially unacceptable behaviors Kelly says that, “Divorced children are more likely to use alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana than are never-divorced children . . . [they] are twice as likely to give birth to a child as a teenager compared with never-divorced children” (7). The children that have suffered through the divorce of their parents tend to rebel against society and the law. This is shown through the higher drug, alcohol, and pregnancy rates of children who come from “broken” homes. “In many cases in this group, one of the parent’s presenting complaints about the referred adolescent who was ‘lying,’ ‘playing the truth,’ ‘untrustworthiness,’ ‘deviousness’ etc” (Tessman 327). The reliability of the child’s word comes into question due to the child’s rebellious ways. He or she might sneak thing behind his or her parents’ backs in order to commit the acts that they are choosing to commit.

“Young adults whose parents divorced during childhood, compared with never-divorced children, have more pregnancies outside of marriage, and earlier marriages (a risk factor for later divorce), poorer marital relationships, increased propensity to divorce, and poorer socioeconomic attainment” (8). The divorce itself has impacted the way that young adults view their relationships. They remember how their parents handled situations or they remember the pain of that situation and it carries over into their relationships that they will have throughout their lives.

To conclude, divorce has many negative effects on the children that live through them. “Broken” homes are a tough situation to deal with, that children across the United States of America attempt to handle in very similar ways. Their reactions to the divorce itself are similar in many ways; it affects both the psychological and social aspects of their lives.

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How to Fix a broken relationship

How To Fix A Broken Relationship

Every relationship is precious for its own reasons. And no one can understand this better than the individuals involved in a relationship. There is so much of investment- emotional, material, time and sacrifices. Incase you have committed the folly of having broken up with your partner- it is never too late to mend things.

Before setting out to mend things, it is pertinent to ask yourself, if the relationship is worthy enough to be mended. Take time to come up with an answer and once you come up with the answer, there should not be any room for doubts or reconsiderations.

Once you are determined to mend things, you can start the process by initiating communication with your partner (if you had snapped communications!). No matter how odd or one-sided it might seem, but you know it is worth it. It should make you and your partner feel a deja vu of how your relationship started.

Relationships often sour and eventually fall apart, as the small values often get eroded which leads to misunderstanding, dissatisfaction, and intolerance. So it would be a good idea to dig up the history of your love and recall things that you might have forgotten somewhere on the way.

Once you re-discover a few of those small values and principles, you can probably inculcate them in your conversations with your partner. Although this is purely to make yourself aware of what went wrong and to not let it happen again by inculcating them. This will undoubtedly come as a pleasant surprise for your partner.

When things visibly start showing a growth, you can probably ask him/her for an outing. It is advisable not to arrange a private meeting place- which might give out wrong indications. While on outing you need not start off with your agenda about mending things. Actions speak louder than sounds.

The idea behind meeting up was to gauge the comfort level that you have re-discovered with your partner. And how eager is your partner, to strike a note with you. If you are not sure about your partner’s responses, it is safer to spill out the beans, rather than beating around the bush.

Respect for individual space, individual values, ambitions and dreams are very important. Even in our day to day lives it has a lot of significance. No matter how intimate partners are, in any relationship-yet they are individuals.

Attempts should be made to encourage and bring up the individual self in our partners. It will come out one day or the other and it is advisable to know, understand and love it rather than let it jolt us as an unexpected or even unpleasant surprise.
While mending a broken relationship, extra care should be taken not to trample your partner’s values and dreams. While comfortable communication is important, what is more important is comfortable silence. Once you attain that with your partner, half of the battle is won.

Comfortable silence helps avoid awkward attempts to strike conversations when there is not much to say, especially when you are getting back to a relationship after a significant period of blackout.

Of course, the converse is also true. There cannot be comfortable silences without conversations. If you are one of those, who is poor in striking conversations, recall events that occurred when you were separate and chose two or three events which you think should have created interest in your partner.

Whether you succeed or fail in mending the broken relationship-a lot depends on your partner. There are equal chances of failure as of success in mending a broken relationship. However this should not be allowed to deter you from attempting to mend the relationship.

The basic driving force should not be a goal to re-unite (that leaves you vulnerable to slip into depression if you fail), but the conviction that the relationship was worthy enough for all these. Eventually this leaves you with a sense of satisfaction and a lasting contentment that you did everything you could-to mend it.

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Getting Over a Break Up




Here's How:

It's okay to grieve for a time. Seek support from your friends and family as you come to terms with the changes in your life.
Don't look at past relationships as failures, but rather as opportunities to learn and improve your relationship skills.
Don't worry that you're not in a relationship. Your value comes from who you are, not who you're with.
You don't have to be a recluse just because you aren't a couple. Treat yourself to an evening out doing something you enjoy. Take along a friend if it's not a solo activity.
Treat yourself to a special gift now and then. You are a special person and you deserve it.
There's more to life than romantic love. Take this opportunity to nurture your friends, family and self.




Take some time to reevaluate what you need in a relationship. Have you been choosing partners who are not capable of a loving and mature relationship?
Be willing to take another chance on love. Like they say, you can't win if you don't play.
Be a friend to yourself. If you care about yourself, the odds are better you will attract those you care about you too.
If you're finding it hard to let go of a relationship, you may need to seek counseling. An obsessive need to be with someone who no longer wants a relationship may be a sign of love addiction.
Avoid jumping into a rebound relationship. Take some time to work through all the issues from your previous one.
Don't try to get revenge. This will only slow your progress in healing from the hurt.
Forgive yourself. You can't change the past, but you can learn from your mistakes and not repeat them.
Forgive your partner. This doesn't mean that you are saying what happened is okay. What it means is cutting your losses and not investing any more time in something that hurts you.
Tips:
Church groups, volunteer activities, and university lectures are just a few ideas for meeting new people in a safe environment.
Get a makeover, join a gym or start a diet. As you improve your health and appearance your self-esteem will rise.
Repeating daily affirmations can help you to regain confidence in yourself.
Suggested Reading




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How to mend a broken relationship

How to Fix a Broken Relationship

Have you and your mate been having relationship issues lately? Are you not getting along like you used to? Are you considering breaking up simply because things are not as great as they once were? Are you hurt and frustrated and hurt about your relationship and desperately want to do something about it? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you may actually be experiencing a broken relationship. Now, before you get all in a tizzy, a broken relationship can be fixed with a bit of hard work and effort. In many instances, fixing a broken relationship can be relatively fun and lead to an even stronger relationship than before. In this article, we'll discuss some proven tips for fixing a broken relationship. Are you ready? Let's begin.

Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions

1
Figure out why your relationship is broken. Your relationship is broken for a reason. You may have hurt your mate or not respected them. Perhaps you didn't appreciate all the little things or got involved with someone else. Whatever the reasons, you must take a few minutes to figure out how the relationship became broken in the first place.
2
Commit to making the relationship better. You can't change the past but you can change the future. When you love and care about someone, you can pick up the pieces. However, you must make fixing your relationship a priority. You must put in a bit of work to rebuild the love and affection. Therefore, commit right now to make the relationship better.
3
Forgive and move on. Now that you are committed, you must forgive yourself and your mate for the pain they caused. You must forgive them and concentrate on healing. By letting bygones be bygones, you can fix the relationship. Holding on to any old pains or grudges will not help your relationship and will make it worst.
4
Change yourself. As hard as you try, you can't change your partner - you can only change yourself. Concentrate on changing yourself for the better and alleviate the issues that caused your relationship to suffer. For instance, if you stopped showing respect for your boyfriend or spouse, now is the time to become more respectful of them with your words and actions. If you stopped appreciating your girlfriend or wife, now is the time to appreciate her with flowers, cards and candy.
5
Communicate with your partner. Once you employ these strategies, your mate will see that you have indeed changed and will be more open to communicating with you about your relationship. During this conversation, you should tell them how much you love and care about them and want your relationship to work out. After all,fixing your broken relationship isn't necessarily hard but it can take a bit of time. By following the above advice, you'll be well on your way of fixing your relationship issues and making it better than ever before. Good luck!
Still Loving your Ex?AboutAstro.com
Get back with your Partner, read this Free Personal Astrology Report



Tips & Warnings

If your mate isn't interested in fixing the relationship, don't force them. Simply give them time and work on imp
roving you instead.
A relationship counselor may also be able to help you fix your relationship.


Read more: How to Fix a Broken Relationship | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5039697_fix-broken-relationship.html#ixzz109es9Ylw