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The Fruits of the Spirit: The Ultimate “How-to” Relationship Guide
As we enter the new year, many couples might be considering how they can resolve to improve their relationship. When we want to improve something, it’s often beneficial to turn to “how-to” advice. The Bible actually has many great guidelines and “how-to’s” that can help us achieve healthy, long term commitments. One of those “how-to” lists is widely known as “the fruits of the spirit.” These fruits apply to many areas of our lives, and as a therapist, I see a direct application to the area of relationships. The interpretation given below is my own. I am not a trained Bible scholar, nor a pastor. Below are some of my…
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Humor: The Priceless Secret Weapon
There is something about the early morning hours that is appealing to me. The stillness of the day, listening to the birds “wake up,” smelling the freshness of the air and watching the colors of the sky. Most of my energy is expended before noon. So imagine my dismay as a newlywed when my husband didn’t start moving till 11:30? You guessed it. Major Conflict. Honestly, how could I not know this before we were married?!? Now, all of a sudden, he sleeps until noon?!? Love casts a blind eye. Naturally, as any good, loving, caring wife does- I began to nag and complain. The next morning I receive a…
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The Only Way Out Is Through: Understanding and Embracing Relationship Fears
Many of our Agape articles embody a theme of embracing our core relationship fears and learning how to tolerate the undesirable emotions that come with them. In order to move from self-judgment toward self-compassion, it’s important to understand our core fears, their origin, and how they impact our thoughts, feelings and relationships. This means we have to move toward the fear rather than avoid it. Once we acknowledge a relationship fear and move towards it, the fear begins to lose the power that it has over us. Poet Robert Frost has quoted “The only way out is through.” This is so true! A great resource to understanding core fears is…
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Empty Nest: Ambivalent Emotions
This summer I watched a mommy bird build a nest in our back yard. Never before had I witnessed such a cycle of nature. This mommy bird was very nurturing and protective. Every day she sat on her little eggs with a watchful eye. When her babies hatched, she was faithful to care for them. She guarded them, she nourished them and she taught them. Then, as is God’s design, one day the nest was empty. Empty Nest and Mixed Emotions Like the mommy bird, as parents, we are nurturing and protective. We care for our babies, we guard them, we tend to their basic needs, and we do our…
Marriage Family & Individual Counseling | St Louis MO
