As an outside observer to the English psyche it is interesting to see how patterns of behavior go through a regular cycle with minor changes on the externals. Fashion and styles shift and change; yet the role of pop bands with a certain age group remain constant. Politicians dance before their audience so consistently that even the faithful cannot identify who said what in the recent past. Everyone cries and laments about the problems around them but years on the core problems remain.
I’m increasingly convinced that the same observation applies to the relationships you I (as well as others in the human race) have with the people who are in our immediate friendship network as well as those we touch for a brief period of time. We are caught in patterns of dysfunctional and often broken relationships. Even the relationships we hold dear to our hearts are often on the verge of crisis.
I find myself longing for something different, anything that would reflect a healthy contribution to the relationships around me, but for the most part the cycle continues. Wisdom provides an insight that I often forget.
“When you run out of wood, the fire goes out; when the gossip ends, the quarrel dies down.” (Proverbs 26.20)
Could it be that the very things that add a little “spice” to life and conversations also reinforces the cycles of dysfunction? Do you and I hold a secret key that could unlock a future that is fundamentally different in structure and content than the one now that is a repeat of yesterday? Can the cycles be broken?
Yes, however they happen one at a time; relationship by relationship.
The difficulty with the solution that I propose is that it requires patience, faith, and the courage of taking one step at time. Patience comes because victory is rare however the process is worth everything. Faith is founded in the trust that acceptance, mercy, and compassion are more powerful than forces of self-centric behavior. Courage rests in knowing that one pursues their created purpose, regardless of everything else.
