Happy relationships—ones that bring out the best in people, and that endure through thick and thin—don't necessarily just happen. They are usually built with what each individual brings to them day by day, week by week, month by month, and year by year. This is true of relationships between spouses, parents and children, siblings, friends, neighbors, and even between nations.
We want relationships in which beautiful qualities and special talents find the freedom to bud and flower and come naturally into full bloom. In which the goodness of one complements and enhances the good of the other. There is joy in such relationships. And there is joy in building them, and in the commitment, unselfishness, patience, and self-control through which the building is accomplished. ...
Commitment is foundational to the achievement of any worthwhile goal. And when it comes to building a happy, enduring relationship, we need a commitment to lean on God. He is surely capable of giving us the strength to deal effectively with the pressures in human life, including those that may arise in our interactions with one another.
