It is often said that your network, determines your net-worth, and that who you company with determines what accompanies you.
This is absolutely true, but I make bold to say, that though 'who' you associate with is very important, much more important is 'how' you associate with these people. This is because, a lot of people have had opportunities to associate with great friends, colleagues, love ones, business partners and a whole lot but lost these very beautiful and promising relationships simply because, they lack the 'how' and sadly, if you don't know the 'how' you will howl.
Even the bible said it is a dangerous thing when you don't know the 'how' of a thing. This was expressed in the words of Solomon, the wisest man in bible days in Eccl. 10:15 that "The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city". From this, it is even foolishness when you don't know 'how' to manage your relationship.You can see how important this is.
At the Wisdom Place this week, I refer to these 'hows' as pillars. Hence, we shall be discussing the 'hows' or better put, the pillars of a lasting relationship.
I shall be discussing a pillar for a lasting relationship and thereafter, urge you to complement this, by stating in the comment box, other pillars you feel are vital for a lasting relationship.
In the banking parlance, it is your deposits that determines your withdrawal. You can't claim a fund in an account without having made any deposit. In the same vein, it is your "relationship deposits" in the lives of people that determines the withdrawal you will be able to make from them.
Most people today complain that they are not having good relationship with people, particularly with their spouses, but the question is, what kind of deposits are they making into such people. You can't desire respect and courtesy from people, when you are not courteous yourself, you can't desire your spouse to trust you, when all the time you suspect her and always query her movement, you suspect every phone call he receives, always uncomfortable when you see her discussing with the opposite sex and all of that. You can't be doing these and expect trust in returns, this is because, it is a principle of nature, you are bound to reap what you sow. You sow distrust, you reap distrust, you sow disrespect, you reap disrespect. You sow less care then you reap people not caring about you. Even the scriptures said it, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Gal 6: 7
It is the quality of the input you make in your relationships that determines the quality of the output you get from it. Be good to people and you will reap good relationship in return, choose to have integrity in all your dealings with others and I can assure you that you will reap credible relationships. Even if some try to play on your good input and kind gestures, God will always in returns pay you back and reward you with better and healthier relationships.
I'll like to end here, expecting to hear more pillars from you.
As I end, expecting your own pillars of a lasting relationship, please remember, you don't go to the bank requesting for money from your account when you've not made deposits into such accounts. Therefore, before you can demand good from people, you need to ask yourself, have I made good deposits to their lives?
I celebrate you!
Please share your thoughts on the comments button.
The intention of God is never for you to achieve less than the best, if God created you, His desire is that you achieve everything achievable as long as that is part of His plans for your life. You are not created as an underdog, but someone with full potentials.
I read a story one time told by Joel Osteen, of a guy who just got a very powerful car, one of the best in the city at that time. So one day, he invited his friend to come along with him to have a ride, so as they were going on this ride, he was having the best form of speed he could get from this his new and exquisite motor car. The ride was thrilling and exciting for him and his friend. They kept driving pass all the vehicles that were before them. To them, oh what an accomplishment, we have become trail blazers and leaving vehicles behind us. Wow! we have reached the echelon and apogee of our race, we have arrived , what an exciting ride we are having, we are the bomb.
But suddenly as these two friends were enjoying the euphoria of this new car, in a split of seconds, another car of the same brand, same colour, same specification and size drove ahead of them and withing few blinks of the eye they couldn't set their eyes on this car again. The other friend now asked his host in the car, was that not your type of car, with the same specification and features. The friend responded with some level of disgust and surprise...yes...but, I wonder why he could drive pass us, thought we were at the best speed of this car?..hitting slightly on the dash board.
This question's answer suggests that they thought they had maximized the best the car could offer, little did they know that the car could offer them more. Consequently, they allowed other persons override them simply because they failed to maximize their best.
Friends, there is more to what you can accomplish than all you have achieved now, and if you don't do something to be the best, someone else will soon overtake you and then you become history. Remember, the success of yesterday is today's mediocrity and the enemy of the "best" is the "better". Remember the cliche good, better, best, hence if you don't get rid of the better, you cannot get the best. Refuse to settle on your recent success, drive yourself to achieving greater result. There were times manual type writers were best form of writing technology, but today, anyone who still use type writers( that is if there is still any) is said to be living in generation past.
That's why Apostle Paul with all he accomplished, writing a significant portion of the new statement and doing more than the disciples in Jesus' time exclaimed "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Phill 3:13-14"
I humorously say that God is a progressive God, one who seek to always be the best and improve on His past success. This is why in my own opinion, God had to create different things for each day up to the sixth day when He knew there was probably nothing more to be created and then rested on the seventh day.He became the best at what He was doing. Therefore, I feel strongly that if God knew there was something more that can be created, He wouldn't have rested on the seventh day.
So, why I you feeling like you have become the best you can be by just getting that your dream job, passing that exam, having your marriage, establishing that business, winning that prize, breaking the records and you feel that's all to life. Friend, you can do more than you have accomplished now.
I will probably continue this series if God so leads next time, but please note, you can achieve more than you have done now. Remember, the largest room on earth is the room for improvement. I believe you are better than this. So be the best and go for more.
I celebrate you!
