A STANDARD OF LIVING - WITH OTHERS

We all know your Standard of Living affects your Quality of Life.

Previously I shared how a Standard of Living impacts 5 major areas in our life.

·       Physical Health – How your body is functioning

·       Mental Health – How your mind is functioning

·       Financial Health – What your resources are doing

·       Recreational Health – What are you doing to be refreshed

·       Relationship Health – How you are functioning WITH OTHERS

Today, I’d like for us to explore our Standard of Living – With Others to get a pulse on our Relationship Health. It’s time for a check-up!

When was the last time you stopped and looked at the impact of your Relationship choices on your life? Is there Health or Heartburn?

Aside from your own personhood, (self-relationship) the next big relationship you will have is WITH OTHERS. Whether that is with God, family members, friends, associates, a mate, at work, coworkers, etc.

Relationships impact everything, your happiness, your health, and sense of purpose.

A lot of people see a Relationship as a “Mint or Ment”

Fulfillment, Achievement, Enhancement, Accomplishment, Retirement.

Many people seek a Relationship to fill a void. A Hole in their Soul.

According to the Oxford Languages dictionary, a relationship is the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected. Our 1st connection is to ourselves. Know thyself to know others.

Any Relationship is a Connection. You become connected to someone, and they become connected to you. A connections allows for an exchange.

The exchange that takes place in a connection can be either good or bad. I’m not speaking of a person, but of its purpose.

Just because something is negative, doesn’t make it bad. A car requires both a positive and negative charge on the battery to start the vehicle.

Lights in your home, work, on a roadway, or any facility that you enter requires a negative and positive wire to give you light.

Here’s the lesson, Negativity offers Movement and Enlightenment.

We need to make sure we fully understand The Power of a Relationship or Relational Power before we try to set a Standard.

Your purpose is tied to your personhood, and when you get connected to someone they can enhance, alter or impact your outcome & process.

Power is a huge dynamic in any Relationships. It plays a pivotal role in conflicts, resolutions, persuasion, trust, and information sharing.

Listen to this statement that was made; You were doing realso well, Who hindered you? Galatians 5

Notice it didn’t say What hindered you, but Who hindered you?

Both hindrance & help come through people. Relationships matter!

Your connection can expose you to a world you never knew of. You can enter a Relationship Portal. The energy in a Relationship is a force.

Relational Power is a mighty force, and it can shift and change depending upon the dynamics. As the Relationship goes so do we.

Relationships are not to be entered into lightly.

Power can be given, taken, sought, and used. When Power is abused its Control. Let’s look at some of the Power that’s present in a Relationship.

Power needs to be given to get help, fix a problem, receive counsel, and work through issues when someone needs assistance or is vulnerable.

But Power can also be used to force an opposing thought/preference, bend a will, manipulate a situation, and attempt to destroy a soul.

Power can be a tool or a weapon. Either case our permission is required. An issue occurs when we thought we were getting help but got hurt.

Power is Influence, Influence is Power. Influencers control the narrative. We believe what we want to believe! Who is influencing you?

Love is a Power – Everyone wants to be loved. So, when we believe that someone loves or cares for us, we give them power over us.

Need is a Power – It can make us yield ourselves to anyone or anything that we believe can help fill that need. Product or Person!

Sex is a Power – Enough said.

Authority is a Power – We give authoritative figures power to make decisions for us.

Respect is a Power – Those whom we respect we empower to lead us.

Trust is a Power – It can take a bit to build, but once it is established, we willingly release the power to the one(s) we have deemed trustworthy.

Fear is a Power – Fear is torment. A tormented soul is a desperate soul.

These are just a few of the Powers that can be accessed and activated through Relationship Connections. Know what you give and receive.

“Above all else, guard your heart, everything you do flows from it”

Relationships can have Positive Power, Imbalanced Power, a loss of Power, too much Power, distorted Power. They can be divine or deadly.

That’s why it is important to have an established Standard in place to allow you to effectively filter through the information to achieve the intended/desired results.

Next time lets look at some Standards of Living – With Your Heart.

This is a Thompson Truth