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Seasons Change: Navigating Boundaries and Life Transitions

Seasons Change: Navigating Boundaries and Life Transitions

Kate Motaung2024-10-29T12:09:04+00:00April 29th, 2023|Featured, Individual Counseling, Personal Development, Relationship Issues|

As much as the beginnings of relationships are important, it is essential to recognize the value of endings. Embracing conclusion makes room for our relationships to flex with the Father’s purposes that flourish in new seasons and in burgeoning relationships. When we allow ourselves to process boundaries and transitions and exit one period of our lives, we are better equipped to enter the next. Although adapting to newness presents its own challenges, accepting the end imparts the grace needed to trust God, regardless of who or what flows with us from one season to the next. The abiding Presence of the Holy Spirit strengthens and sustains us through turbulence associated with transition and change. Reconfiguring boundaries and traversing transition feels awkward and uncomfortable. We may not know how to shift boundaries as seasons change in our lives, but we cling to the promise of Jesus to be with us always. Relational changes involve creative conversations, first with the Lord in addition to communing with our hearts before we share with others. The Holy Spirit will illuminate our path with the Word of God, giving insight and instruction on what to say and when. He is the brilliance of the Father, the relationship genius who knows every human heart and how to navigate it. We can rely on Him to guide us through uncertain times, so that we honor God, ourselves, and others as our lives and relationships undergo transition. Here, Jesus expertly makes all things new, and causes them, including seasons of transformation, to work together for good and ultimately His glory (Revelation 21:4; Romans 8:28). Metamorphosis affords the grace to embrace imperfection in the secret place while being perfected by the Spirit of Christ. Through Jesus’ finished work, we learn to extend what we have received to evolve, [...]

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Are You Ready for Marriage? Tips for Discernment

Are You Ready for Marriage? Tips for Discernment

Kate Motaung2024-10-29T12:09:55+00:00December 8th, 2022|Featured, Individual Counseling, Premarital Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Deciding if you are ready for marriage requires some thought and assessment. To be able to provide an answer, you must first have a solid understanding of who you are. As you think about this, here are some things to consider. Ready for Marriage? Aspects to Consider Relationships Think about the relationships you have currently. These do not need to be romantic relationships. How do you behave toward your mother, father, and siblings? Do you frequently find yourself losing your cool with them, perhaps resorting to using rude or sarcastic language to get your point across? In light of that, what kind of remarks would they make about you? How you interact with members of your family is predictive of how you will behave toward a potential mate. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. – Ephesians 4:31, NIV Attitude and behavior Your attitude and the way you behave can be indicators of your readiness. Are you positive or pessimistic? Do you ever consider other people’s perspectives, or do you always insist on doing things in a particular way – your way? Are you able to maintain your composure in difficult situations? Are you patient? You can better prepare yourself to be a husband or wife in the future by cultivating the fruit of God’s spirit in your life. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. – Galatians 5:22-23, NIV Money and finances Considering how you approach money and finances in your life is important. Surveys report that almost half of couples argue about money, so having a clear understanding of your ideas on the subject now can foster a healthier marriage [...]

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Tips for Forgiving Family Members

Tips for Forgiving Family Members

Cyndi Kay Green2024-09-25T09:06:55+00:00September 14th, 2022|Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues, Spiritual Development|

Cultivating a healthy relationship with family members can be difficult. Growing up in a big family often leaves a person feeling like they were the least favorite. These feelings can sometimes lead to relationship problems between siblings. Forgiving family is one of the toughest things we can do to follow God’s instructions about forgiveness. We don’t always want to be the ones to initiate the process. Forgiveness within the family dramatically improves the way a family functions. By employing forgiveness the dynamic of the family can become positive and uplifting, creating a healthy home environment for everyone. Even if the family has evolved to having adult children forgiveness will create a positive atmosphere during family get-togethers. This positivity created by adult children will lead to a healthier atmosphere for aging parents. How do I start showing forgiveness to my family member? Understanding the result of forgiveness comes from spending time with God. It is important to allow God to prepare your heart and mind to seek forgiveness. Allowing Him to lead you in this process is the key to obtaining true forgiveness. God’s love for us is based on forgiveness. He forgave us for sins so that we may be found in right standing with Him. We don’t always intentionally do something that hurts others. Regardless, we are still responsible for seeking forgiveness. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. – Ephesians 4:32, ESV Praying is the best way to understand how God wants you to approach the person. It will also help in understanding how to speak to them in a way that will be uplifting. God wants us to live in harmony. He intended for the His children to walk together in love. Sometimes you need help to understand [...]

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What We Can Learn About Forgiveness in the Bible

What We Can Learn About Forgiveness in the Bible

Kate Motaung2024-10-29T12:10:16+00:00July 25th, 2022|Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues, Spiritual Development|

Forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. It makes a way for us to live as one with God, it provides a way for person-to-person relationships to be restored, and it develops spiritual maturity as we learn to live from a position of forgiveness. As we explore forgiveness in the Bible, we discover explore God’s forgiveness, Jesus’ ministry of forgiveness, and the practical application of forgiveness. Forgiveness releases a person from guilt and its consequences. It is an act of compassion to restore broken relationships. Forgiveness can involve both the remission of punishment and the cancellation of debts. To forgive is to refuse to blame and take an account of offenses. To be forgiven is to be exempt from personal consequences for an offense. When we experience forgiveness, our mistakes are no longer considered or held against us. God’s Forgiveness in the Bible But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. – Nehemiah 9:16-17, ESV The Israelites had a reputation for a back-and-forth relationship with God. They had numerous experiences of rescue and refusal. They refused to follow God, which led them to sin and captivity. Then God would hear their cry and rescue them because of his kind nature. He was ready to forgive because that is His nature. We can rely on His readiness to forgive us too. Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon [...]

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The Best Bible Verses About Marriage

The Best Bible Verses About Marriage

Kate Motaung2024-10-29T12:10:52+00:00July 13th, 2022|Couples Counseling, Featured, Marriage Counseling, Premarital Counseling, Relationship Issues, Spiritual Development|

When you need encouragement in your marriage, these are the best Bible verses about marriage for you to consider. You can study them and meditate on them for guidance and practical help. Meditate on these Bible verses about marriage when you are seeking God’s will about your marriage. Bible Verses About Marriage Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” – Genesis 2:18 God instituted marriage before sin entered the world. It is his beautiful plan to have husbands and wives relieve loneliness for each other and be helpers for one another. This is still his plan for your marriage as well. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. – Genesis 2:23-24 When you are married, God considers you to be of one flesh. Everything that affects the husband affects the wife, and vice versa. To keep the unity of one flesh, you cannot allow other things to take priority, including your original families. If in-laws are creating problems in your marriage, you can find help from these Bible verses about marriage or even a Christian counselor. And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus established a system of priorities for us. We are to put God [...]

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How to Work on a Strained Relationship

How to Work on a Strained Relationship

Kate Motaung2024-10-29T12:11:02+00:00June 27th, 2022|Couples Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling, Marriage Counseling, Relationship Issues|

If you have a strained relationship, your heart aches all the time. It's challenging to have a relationship with someone who doesn't reciprocate with you or possibly makes life more difficult for you. The good news is that a caring Christian counselor can help you navigate a strained relationship in your life. Why Do We Have a Strained Relationship? Strained relationships can come from different sources. Perhaps you had a relationship that was close at one point and misunderstandings put a strain on the relationship. On the other hand, you may have a relationship that never got off on the right foot and is now in a worse place than when you started. Relationships can also become strained if they carry a heavy load of criticism and defensiveness over time, or if the relationships are not maintained well by growth and support. These strained relationships can exist at home, in an extended family, at work, in friendships, and even in community groups or churches. They cause a lot of discomfort, usually for both people involved in the relationship, and even for people surrounding that relationship. Strained relationships sometimes happen because the other person is almost entirely at fault. Sometimes they occur because we have blind spots, and we don't recognize our contributions to the problems. However, even if the reason for the strain is only one percent your fault, you can start working on that part with the help of a trained counselor. Even though you may not be able to completely change the strain in the relationship, you can start building up your strength to handle it. Examples You may see a mirror of the strain in your relationship in one or more of these scenarios. Due to constant conflict, a dad is at odds with his teenage [...]

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