Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 150 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

8 Signs of Healthy Relationships 

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 150 of our Trek, and yesterday we discovered the 2 steps needed to overcome procrastination. Today we will learn the 8 attributes of a healthy relationship. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek podcasts, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This episode is scheduled to air on Wednesday in the middle of a very busy week. As I am writing this journal, we are heading north to Marietta. I am so thankful that Paula is willing and able to drive on many of our trips so that I can maximize my time and continue to bring value to my fellow trekkers. The leaves on the trees are changing colors, and it is a beautiful evening drive. The majesty of God’s creation is a joy to observe.are changing colors and it is a beautiful evening drive.  The majesty of God’s creation is joy to observe.

We have a long trail ahead of us today, so strap on your hiking boots tight because we are going to have to move quickly to finish the trail on time as we learn from each other on our trail of relationships. As we hike on this trail, we need to keep alert and use our power of observation to locate the 8 signs that will teach us to create and maintain healthy relationships with everyone that we meet on this trek of life.

8 Signs of Healthy Relationships

Nothing can bring more joy to life than beautifully fulfilling relationships. The depth of meaning, understanding, and appreciation that these kinds of relationships bring is almost unfathomable. And, of course, as many people find out, nothing can bring so much pain as a broken relationship with someone dear to you.

Yes, relationships make the world go ’round for better or for worse. But the exciting thing is that we can do much to increase our chances of having terrific relationships — relationships that are fulfilling and exciting, rich with meaning, joy, and love. There are basics that govern most human relationships and are the very basics I want to cover. So, here is my list of the eight signs that I believe comprise the basics of healthy relationships.

1. Love

Now, this all depends on your definition of love. Most people think that love is a feeling, but I would strongly debate that point. Actually, the concept of “like” is really about feelings. When you say you like someone, you are talking about how you feel. But when you say that you love someone, you are not necessarily talking about how you feel about them. Love is much deeper than a feeling. Love is a commitment we make to people to always treat that person right and honorably. Yes, for those we become especially close to, we will have feelings of love, but I believe it is time for us to re-examine what we mean by love. We must expand our definition of what love means by including the commitment aspect of love. For healthy relationships, we must love everyone. We may not like them based on how we feel about them, but we should love them based on our definition of love above, which in turn determines how we should act toward them. That is, we should treat them right and honorably. This is the basis of all healthy relationships.

I believe the best description of what love really is can be found in the 1st letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth in Chapter 13 verse 4 through 7, "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.