Patience is a difficult skill to practise when it comes to relationships. This is particularly so when you feel lonely, empty, and incomplete. When that happens you can jump the gun, and make a choice based on your limited perspective rather than the larger picture that would emerge if only you had sought more information and waited patiently. To keep you from making a mistake that can negatively impact the rest of your life, here are three important steps you should take when it comes to forming a relationship: 1) You must ask the right questions. Be curious, inquisitive, and hungry for all the pieces of the puzzle. Always, always, ask! 2) You must find the answer to those questions. Sift through the surface impressions of what you see and hear and you’ll soon see a clearer picture emerging. This picture must harmonise with two things: a) your participation in this particular relationship; b) God’s will and purpose for your life. 3) You must act when the time is right, and know that you are acting on the best and most comprehensive information available. If it doesn’t work out, you can relax in the knowledge that you did everything possible to make a wise decision. Statistically, about half of all marriages today end in divorce. But if you take these three steps, you could finish up in the right half. And even if the relationship fails, you can carry into your next relationship the wisdom gleaned from the last one. ‘He made…a woman, and…brought her to the man.’ God knows just what you need, so seek His guidance.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.