[ampaterry]

Today, a bit more about relationships -

Openness is essentially the willingness to grow, a distaste for ruts, eagerly standing on tiptoe for a better view of what tomorrow brings. A man once bought a new radio, brought it home, placed it on the refrigerator, plugged it in, turned it to WSM in Nashville, and then pulled all the knobs off! He had already tuned in all he ever wanted or expected to hear. Some marriages are "rutted" and rather dreary because either or both partners have yielded to the tyranny of the inevitable: "What has been will still be." Stay open to newness. Stay open to change. In Engineering, we call this ‘thinking outside the box’, which means NEVER be restricted by what has BEEN done, but look at what MIGHT be done.

Ecclesiastes 9:9 (TLB);
“Live happily with the woman you love through the fleeting days of life, for the wife God gives you is your best reward down here for all your earthly toil.”

1 Peter 3:7 (TLB);
“You husbands must be careful of your wives, being thoughtful of their needs and honoring them as the weaker sex. Remember that you and your wife are partners in receiving God’s blessings, and if you don’t treat her as you should, your prayers will not get ready answers.”

These are GREAT passages for getting along with your spouse, and should be followed. This idea is also true, however, in ANY relationship. It is easy to get into a rut with a friend, co-worker, family member, in such a way that the relationship never develops into the true friendship it could, if we would only be OPEN to new ideas. Listening to WSM is FINE – but don’t remove the knobs from the radio – because sometime you might find that a bit of KDF or WTN is nice! A bit of Classical, easy listening, even hard rock, is a pleasant change, and may add a whole new dimension to your relationship. Who knows – you may discover that your old fishing buddy also likes to play golf, or bowls, or is a movie buff – and here you have always restricted your conversation to fishing!

May God bless each one of you -