Today's Devotional: There are three common types of toxic relationships: negative, controlling, and the tempters. Chances are you have experienced all three of these toxic relationships in your life. Chances are that you have been toxic to someone else in one of these three ways. Do as God's Word says and don't let yourself be deceived and led astray by toxic relationships. More importantly, don't be toxic to others because you will lead them astray.
Response by: Doug Giffin
Every relationship we have can be toxic, even our relationship to God. Do I have your attention? (Think Scribes and Pharisees) In business I hear all the time, “This is a relationship industry.” In social settings, “Well we had a relationship with them from work so we decided to have our son join the same baseball team.” At church, “I never would have gone there but Kathy does, so I thought I would try it out.” The way the word is bandied about you’d think it’s one of the single most important parts of our life. And you’d be right.
We humans crave a connection. That’s why relationships matter. Sure, today the relationship might just be over Twitter but it’s still a relationship. Ask Manti Te’o. Talk about toxic! Call the CDC. Relationships get us in trouble. We convolute them (or others do). We make them what they aren’t and never were intended to be and we suffer for it. Call them negative, controlling or the tempters (sounds like a 60’s group) but they go bad. Like a loaf of bread that’s been in the pantry a while, we would be wise to examine them before we partake. Some people always see decay and never do. That’s too bad because relationships can be the most fulfilling, rewarding, life-giving things we experience while we’re here on earth. I thank God for all my relationships, good and bad, because they’ve made me who I am today and they’ve made me a wiser and fuller person. True, I have what I consider a healthy skepticism, especially when red flags go up but it’s often those people I have a healthy, close relationship with that help me see the flag. I hope that someday I’ll be able to repay those whose relationship has meant so much to me. I hope to pay forward on some of my own relationships, both current and future, so I can have that meaning to another that I was blessed with when I needed it most.
Something to talk about: What types of toxic relationships do you currently have more of in your life? How can you change the way you relate to others and work towards being less toxic towards those with whom you connect?
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