1. Give lots of grace.  

We all know that we mess up. None of us are perfect—- except Jesus Christ, himself! But, seriously... you have to be willing to extend grace to those that you love. After all, the ones we love most can often hurt us the most, make us the angriest, and drive us crazy the MOST. Grace is a gift that we don’t have to give; it’s free and unmerited. But we give it because that is what we have been freely given as believers. If the Lord can forgive you for EVERYTHING you’ve ever done, why can’t you extend a little grace to your sister who hurt your feelings? To your teammate or coworker that gets on your last nerve? To a stranger who said something to you that was completely uncalled for? To your friend who you feel like betrayed you? Well I’m here to tell you, you can. You can and you must. You must if you want to live an abundant life full of freedom that the Lord grants us. Can I get an amen, sista friend?!

2. Be patient.

This one is hardest for me. I’ve never been patient. But ohhhhh has the Lord been patient with me! We all move at a different pace. Not everyone will understand you; at least not at first. They may never understand, and that’s okay. But being patient is important. Whatever it is that you’re having a hard time being patient about, keep on keeping on. They’ll come around. 

3. Listen. 

How often do we actually stop, slow down, and LISTEN? Like truly listen. Not the type of listening where you’re plotting what you’re going to say in response as soon as they stop speaking. How pure is the act of listening JUST to listen? Doesn’t it make you feel good when you know someone is genuinely listening to you and giving you their complete, undivided attention? YES. So, let’s do this for those that we love! Okurrrrrt.

4. Know love languages/personality types.

It’s important to know how to love our people best, and this may be hard to do when you don’t know their love language! You can take the quiz online to find out your/their primary love language & I would also encourage you to read the book. It’s amazing, and so so insightful. I promise, it will change your relationships. 

Personality types also can give you insight on the way your people think, react, and feel. The Enneagram Institute has done a ton of research and work in this department, and I HIGHLY recommend reading about it. You can also take a quiz for this to find out your personality type. For example, I am a type 2— The Helper. It also explains what type you are when you are at your best & also when you are at your worst. This tool is incredibly helpful when seeking to further understand others. Sleeping At Last also has a podcast for each type on Spotify explaining more about them & he is in the process of finishing a special song for each type. So beautiful, go check it out!

5. Be understanding. 

This is something that I have grown tremendously in over the last couple of years. You’ll never fully be able to understand someone else. However, the most important thing is that you TRY. Try to put yourself in their shoes. Try to feel what they feel. Try to see what they see. It’ll change the way that you view others—- I promise.

6. Pray for them.

It’s so beautiful when others pray for you. What purer form of love is there? When you pray for someone, you are INTERCEDING for them. How cool is that? You are going on their behalf to the Lord and lifting them higher. I love that. It’s important to not only pray for those you love when things aren’t so great, but even when things are wonderful. Pray without ceasing. Always always always. 

That’s all for now, folks. Hope this helps! Xoxo