Love and Sex

Sexual connection is a vital aspect of most romantic relationships, but it’s not always as central as people may think. Partners have sex for self-interested reasons—it feels good and can boost self-esteem; and for relationship-focused reasons—it enhances closeness and pleases someone they love. Over the long term, most couples will face sexual challenges, as bodies change with age and individuals’ desire for sex waxes and. Research consistently shows that most couples struggle to talk about sex honestly, but that when they do, it brings them closer together.

Love also brings people together, but it takes more than love to stay together. Many of us know couples that broke up despite believing that they were in love with each other, because of one partner’s infidelity or because of distance or circumstance. But even in long-term stable relationships, partners who feel that they are in love may grow apart, if one believes that they are not emotionally safe in the relationship, or that it lacks passion or intimacy.

Fall In Love

When we fall in love we generally believe it’s until death do us part. What we feel is a grand rapture. My mother used to tell me that love is the feeling you feel when you’re about to feel a feeling that you never felt before. Not very helpful for a teenager trying to understand her emotions, but most of us recognize what my mom was trying to tell me: romantic love is special, unique, like nothing else we’ve experienced.

There’s no question that the early stages of a relationship can be confusing. You might puzzle over your own feelings, and wonder what the person you’re dating really thinks of you. Your own emotions may be difficult to fully decipher, and trying to categorize them as falling in love or as just a passing attraction can be tricky. Falling in love is a uniquely intense period of time for anyone. But we need to sort out a lot of other questions during a falling-in-love phase: Beyond clear attraction, is this person someone who will support you, respect you, understand you, and be compassionate with you? And does this person share your values and priorities?

If you're lucky, putting in the time and effort during this initial period will pay off, and your mutual attraction can transition into a more stable and long-term relationship.

How to Know Whom You Can Trust

Before our trust can be lost, we first have to give it out. For some people, we make them earn our trust, but for others, we freely give it away. “Trust is both an emotional and logical act.” On one hand, it is a feeling. If we have some familiarity with a person, that is if they share something meaningful with us such as culture, values, or even community, we are more likely to give them our trust without expecting them to earn it first. According to author Simon Sinek, “When we’re surrounded by people who believe what we believe, something remarkable happens, trust emerges.” On the other hand, before we are willing to do business with a stranger, we want some assurance that they will provide what is expected.

It’s not surprising that dysregulated eaters, who often have little self-trust, also have difficulty with knowing whether or not to trust others. Knowing who to trust is a learned ability, a skill. One way to assess trust is through verification. Another is by recognizing what people do when they feel guilty. The motivation behind trust is to find someone who cares enough about us that we can rely on them. But, that desire involves risk. When we trust someone, we make ourselves vulnerable to that person. We give that person the power to hurt us. Do you know if the person you want to trust cares about you? If not, then you might want to make them prove their trustworthiness first.

Single Parenting: The Struggle Is Real

People become parents for some different reasons, though those reasons are mainly the result of a) divorce or b) death. And sometimes, after a divorce, your ex-partner can be so distant or uninvolved that it makes co-parenting nearly impossible. How many times can you disappoint a child by telling him or her that the absentee parent didn’t show up for yet another visitation appointment? It is stressful being a parent on a good day, let alone a bad one. You need to have time to yourself, whether it’s to blow off some steam with a good movie and a glass of wine, or get some housework done, so you stop looking at the same messes day in and day out. While it can be tempting to be SuperMom and get all the glory of doing everything on your own, the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child” didn’t come from nowhere. When you need help, ask.

One of the things single parents tend to worry about the most is being able to provide their children with a sense of security. The best way to establish this is to create a routine and stick to it. Many single parents tend to rely too heavily on their children, treating them almost as equals. They share their financial burdens with their children, as well as the struggles they go through both as a single parent and, if applicable, with their former spouses.

Being a parent sometimes requires us to ask for things we’d never ask for, and do things we’d never have done.

Happiness: What You Should Seek Out Of Life

No matter who we are or what we do with our lives, the ultimate goal is to be content and satisfied with our current state of being. We want to be able to look back on our memories fondly and without regret and we want to be able to say that we led the best lives possible, ones that filled us with joy and made us truly satisfied with what we accomplished and how we lived.

But for some, the meaning of happiness can be very elusive, and many may not be able to properly determine what happiness would look like, feel like, or what causes happiness. Happiness is, after all, something that holds a different meaning for each of us, even if we feel it similarly. That being said, there are some key components to being content throughout our lifetime, and even though we may not be necessarily pursuing the same kinds of things that make us happy, we can all learn some important tips that will help us to reach our individual.

Family Love Is One Of The Best Things In The World

It's easy to say, "I love my family," but family love is about more than these simple words. Family love is a special type of love that comes with its unique feelings, behaviors, challenges, and rewards. Once you understand what it truly is, you can learn how to build family relationships by genuine love and care.

What Is Family? A family isn't necessarily about blood relations-it's a group of people that function as a unit. Often, but not always, this includes parents and children. Family can also mean all the descendants of a common ancestor. Some people consider their friends like family. However, when we speak of family love, the love you have with your friends might or might not fit, depending on what type of relationship you have. What Is Love? Love is a word that's been used in so many ways, it's nearly lost its meaning. We may say we love ice cream or skiing when what we mean is that we enjoy it. Love is of course commonly used to describe romantic or sexual feelings and behaviors. In the context of family love, the term refers to bonds characterized by deep affection, respect, loyalty, and healthy attachment. Family relationships are different from other types of bonds. The following characteristics of family love set it apart from other types of love relationships.

Living Large

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

— 2 Corinthians 9:8 

When I feel like my “get up and go” has got up and gone, I purposely stir myself up through aggressive expectation!

God is the God of abundance, the one who wants us to live a large, free, and full life.

Dare to have big faith, big plans, and big ideas, because God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond all that you can ever dare to hope, ask, or think.

It is time to start asking God to do greater things! Have great expectations!

Don’t be afraid to ask God for big things. The truth is that you cannot ask for too much as long as your heart is right and you are willing to not only be blessed by God, but also be a blessing everywhere you go.

The Bible says God is searching for those in whom He can show Himself strong, and it can be you if you are willing to believe. You don’t need a perfect performance to qualify for God’s best; just love Him with all your heart. Don’t settle for less than the best life that you can have.

Prayer Starter: Amazing heavenly Father, I am humbled that You want to offer me an abundant life. I know that I don’t deserve Your goodness, but I do ask in faith that You would do great things for and through me. Thank You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Give Yourself a Gift

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

— Ephesians 4:32 

Unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, or offense of any kind can render us unable to hear from God. The Word of God is very clear on this subject. If we want God to forgive our sins and offenses against Him, we must forgive others their sins and offenses against us.

Ephesians 4:30-32, the passage that contains our verse for today, teaches that we grieve the Holy Spirit when we harbor negative emotions such as anger, resentment, and animosity in our hearts. When we hold unforgiveness against anyone for any reason, it hardens our hearts and prevents us from being sensitive to God’s leading in our lives.

I once heard someone say that holding unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping your enemy will die. Why spend your life being angry and bitter toward someone who is probably enjoying his or her life and does not even care that you are upset?

Do yourself a favor—forgive those who hurt you! Give yourself the gift of forgiveness. It will bring peace to your heart and enable you to hear God’s voice and follow His leading in your life.

Prayer Starter: Father, please forgive me for holding bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness in my heart toward others. Help me to truly forgive those who have hurt me or wronged me in any way. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Think Positively

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

 — Philippians 4:8 

I once interviewed a minister and his wife on our ministry’s television program. I asked the man what his weaknesses were. His answer: “You know, I don’t concentrate on them. I am sure I have some, but I couldn’t tell you right now what they are because I just don’t focus on them.”

I laughingly replied that I would ask his wife later. I was sure she would know his weaknesses, even if he didn’t. When she joined us later in the broadcast, I promptly popped that question to her. She replied, “To me, my husband is perfect; I don’t focus on his weaknesses. He has so many strengths that I just focus on them and help him be all he can be.”

It didn’t take me long to understand why these two were so happy and upbeat all the time—and why they had such a wonderful marriage. Confident people make it a habit to think and act positively. Therefore, they enjoy life, and they accomplish a lot.

Prayer Starter: Lord, it seems as though it’s a lot easier to see others’ negatives rather than their positives. Help me to see others through Your eyes, especially my loved ones and those with whom I am closest. I want to bless and support them as You do. Amen.