Combatting Relationship Issues with Prayer

An ongoing issue between two married people can tear a family apart unless someone is able to intervene and bring God’s blessings into their midst.

Last night, as I was pondering my next article, a particular family issue which has been festering for some time opened a spiritual discussion between me and the Holy Spirit, when He told me I was to be the vehicle to address the problem.  I thought of Moses, who found himself in the presence of God at the burning bush.  Moses asked God if he was aware of what his people were going through in Egypt.  God said He did and, “you Moses will be my prophet to deliver them out of Egypt and bring them here to a land of milk and honey.”  (cf Exodus 3: 10). 

When I asked what we can do to eliminate the bickering within the family, God spoke and said 'you will be the one to intervene, not through direct confrontation but through your writing.' From all the reflections I've written, I know that writing can indeed become a way forward, as many writers realize. Through writing, we see paths open to us that sometimes reach those hungry to hear possible solutions to similar obstacles.

It seems that one person in this particular family is living a cult-centered life regarding current politics, which has created strife in our society, splintering Washington D. C., proponents in Congress, members of families, and questions about who is correct.

Anyone who listens to or reads the news knows that there are often speculations of what an ultimate outcome might be. They may begin asking if there are practical solutions to our country's future.

Back to the person in question - a middle-aged woman living a life that has seduced her intellect and made the lives of those around her, especially her own children, victims of the philosophy she has joined. No one should force her to believe what she has adopted, but when it begins to destroy the family she loves, it should be a wake-up call to step back and see what she has become.  

Two sides of the conflict have lead to hatred between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, also pitting mother against son and son against mother.  It is ugly, and neither party is willing to compromise.  The tension has created a rampart between relatives without any signs of relenting anger.  

Perhaps the best way to eradicate this battle is through prayer, turning the impossible over to God and allowing Him to take charge.  However, we can never give up attempts to intervene, not with condemnation but through gentleness and loving signs of forgiveness.  We must remember that with prayer, we are vehicles through which God answers prayers through our actions. 

Validating the feelings of each side without succumbing to the beliefs of either will allow them to find their own way out of conflict, hopefully encouraging them to become humble enough to recover the love that once existed.  

Apparently, the most positive thing those of us who write can do is continue to share our thoughts through the pen, so that others in similar circumstances might read and understand. 

Ralph B. Hathaway, Relationships 2021