Joy in Relating

A few years back, I had a big realization about myself. I had always known that I placed a lot of importance on friendships and relationships, but through a series of events, I really saw that I was looking for these relationships to meet a need in my life that they weren't designed to. I was making them too important, and letting them overshadow God's importance in my life. More recently, I've noticed that I was having this struggle again. I was really frustrated with myself, because I know better. I was looking at different interactions, weighing what I was getting from one person or another. Then I realized that was the key, I was looking at what I was getting. I felt God impressing me that to have a friend, you must be a friend. So I started thinking about how I can be a friend to others. I mean, I like when someone takes an interest in me, when they take the time to email me or call me about something, so wouldn't that make someone else feel good? So for the last couple of days, I've been making the decision to think of others first. And it's felt so much better than worrying about what I'm getting from others. Of course, I want to make sure I practice that in my home as well. Sometimes we're more inclined to put a good face on for others outside our home than we are for our own family. I know that is something I haven't been good at, but I am making a conscious effort to be better at that. I am so thankful that God has given me Jason, so I definitely want to live like that! It was cool, though, because part of our Bible fellowship class lesson yesterday was about loving others and putting their needs first. That's where joy comes from--the acrostic Jesus, Others, then You shows that. So that's what I want to focus on right now.