Who are your people?

The ones you lean on when life gets messy and wobbly.
The ones who don’t need your full explanation because they’ve been there, too.
The crazies who brainstorm solutions with you when obstacles pop up.
The ones whose texts, emails, or phone calls instantly lift your spirit.

This past weekend, I attended a conference for counselors and coaches. I came away challenged, refreshed, and inspired to continue the race. These are my people—even though I don’t know many of them by name. By listening to their stories and sharing mine, we found ways to encourage and cheer for each other. We left with a fresh sense of God’s purpose.

It made me think about you. Who do you spend time with that seeks your best without competition?

Consider

Deep, life-giving relationships don’t happen by accident. They take intentionality and time. Betrayal trauma crushes many of our relationships, not just the one with your spouse. It’s a by-product of the trauma. Building strong, healthy relationships is a core component of your recovery.

Pastor Rick Warren explains how healthy, life-giving relationships must be built:

Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can't make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.

He continues:

It is not enough to just say relationships are important; we must prove it by investing time in them. Words alone are worthless. "My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action." Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is "T-I-M-E."

Reflect

God designed relationships to help us grow. In Ephesians 4:15-16 (NLT) we read:

Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Healthy relationships shape us to look more like Jesus. Together we form the Church, building each other up and learning to love like Christ.

🙏🏻 May I pray for you?

Dear God, if Reader has suffered betrayal trauma, would you comfort her today? Put safe people in her path, who see her, listen to her, and love her. Create a deep longing within Reader for healthy relationships with you and others. Give Reader the courage to ask someone she admires to meet for a beverage break. Not to “pick the other person’s brain” but to get to know the other person and tell a bit of Reader’s story. Break the bondage of isolation for Reader in Jesus’ name so that Reader learns to trust again.” Amen