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“The Bible isn’t just a book about religion; it’s a book about relationships…”

A thought by Mike Bechtle from his book, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys (p. 49). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

That is only part of the thought. 

Mike continues, “…and it’s filled with practical suggestions for making our own relationships work. Here are some examples:

“-Don’t bring up issues that have already been dealt with in the past. (Prov. 17:9) 
-Don’t stretch the truth, but be honest in your conversation. (Eph. 4:25)
-If someone gets upset, don’t respond with anger. (Prov. 15:1; 25:15; 29:11)
-Listen carefully, and don’t interrupt until you’ve really heard the other person. (Prov. 18:13)
-Look for ways to encourage the other person. (1 Thess. 5:11)
-Pick your battles; avoid arguing whenever possible. (Prov. 17:14)
-Put energy into seeing things from the other person’s point of view. (Phil. 2:4)
-Spend a lot more time listening than talking. (James 1:19; Prov. 10:19)
-Think before you respond to someone. (Prov. 15:28)
-Watch carefully what you say so you don’t get yourself in trouble. (Prov. 21:23)”

Mike then says, “If we want to learn how to get the best use out of our new car, we read the manual provided by the manufacturer. If we want to have effective relationships, we glean insights from reading the instruction manual from the One who designed relationships. These principles are powerful in all of our relationships, including the crazy ones.

“That doesn’t mean that if we do the right things and follow these principles then other people will automatically get their act together. We can’t control how they respond, but we can control how we respond to them. Principles like these can be the foundation on which we base every relationship, no matter what the other person does.

“Notice that all of the above principles give instruction to us, not to the other person. It’s all about what we do in relationships, no matter what others do. That means we develop ways of relating that we use every time, knowing that we might or might not get the response we’re looking for.”

I know, I know, most of us know the Bible is a good place to go  but it also is good to be reminded of this fact, isn’t it?

Yes, yes!
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