The Encouragement Series - People are Gifts
more on embracing new dynamics, forgiveness & persistent love.
Another week, another newsletter, hi everyone!! I hope your week is going well so far. Before we get into today’s newsletter, catch up on the previous ones:
🗞️ Roundup of Lessons in Seasons
💌 Rhieme Recommends:
🎥 ‘It’s Okay to Start Again’ with M.I Abaga & Kennedy Ekezie: This was such a great listen, and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing MI sharing his journey on discovering himself outside of the music industry and starting out his own startup. It was an assuring reminder that it’s okay to acknowledge we are beginners and feel no shame about it.
🔔 Last few tickets for In Conversation with Lessons in Seasons: our final community call will be over the weekend and I’m so excited for it! Click here to get your tickets and read more about it. Tickets are going fast.
Let’s get into today’s newsletter!
If you know me, you know relationships are very important to me. Over the years I’ve been blessed to meet people who meeting them changed my life for the better. But I’ve equally had some rocky days. Today’s newsletter is for the person who feels stuck in the in between and may have had unpleasant experiences with people this year and maybe is still recovering, I hope this meets you where you are.💖
In all we do— let’s remember the humanity of others:
If you’ve struggled with relationships this year, I want to encourage you to please keep your heart soft. I know how hard it can be processing how certain relationships may have unfolded or how you might have been treated, but it’s one thing to acknowlege how we feel, and another to make ourselves victims to the circumstances we have experienced. Something I’ve come to realise is, we are going to hurt people, and people are going to do the same, whether intentionally or unintentionally. The more I ponder on the dynamics of relationships, it’s only become clearer to me the importance of considering the humanity of others and extending grace. I have definitely fallen privy to placing others on a pedestal and the more I considered why, I realised, I placed them in positions they were never meant to occupy.
Whilst our friends are there to support and uplift us, it’s important that we remember they are still human beings. There is certainly room for communicating our needs, but simultaneously, there is also space to remember that our friends are humans too. They may not make amendments instantly, but they could overtime and there should be grace for that. Sometimes we end relationships prematurely because of this reason — placing people on pedestals they were never designed to occupy. But maybe a simple conversation or accepting a new rhythm to a relationship is all that is needed to remedy the discomfort we feel?
Embracing New Dynamics
I’m learning what it means to nurture my relationships in different ways as the seasons change, whilst remembering that a new dynamic does not mean a failed relationship. It is not an easy process, but what I keep at the back of my mind is remembering to play the long game with others. By this I mean not instantly resorting to walking away from relationships when the road gets bumpy, but more so learn how to ride the waves in a different way. We can love others in a different way, yet that love is still so true and real. We can extend grace to others and not write them off because of a temporary shift in the dynamics. Whether we are in close proximity with them or afar, we should choose to remain loyal with our heart postures tender because love is patient, love is kind and love is not self-seeking.
Forgiveness— the key we sometimes fail to unlock
With all I’ve shared, none of this will be possible if we don’t choose to forgive. We can choose to forgive our friends when our expectations haven’t been met, when we’ve been hurt, disappointed etc. We shouldn’t wait till we receive an apology before we do so. I listened to this sermon recently, and Stephanie Ike made such a profound point— unforgiveness keeps us in a prison and steals our peace. I’ve been pondering on that statement for a while, and it is very true. Forgiving others is for us more than it is for the other person, it’s an internal decision we make. Whilst we may feel justified in our anger, I believe it’s important we process our emotions and feelings, but remember to leave justice to God. Sometimes we’re actually the ones in the wrong, but our anger, offence etc, is blinding us from seeing the reality of the situation. Which is why, it’s important we pray for God’s perspective in situations we face. Holding malice, resentment etc does nothing to the offender, and everything to us. So if you’ve been struggling with forgiveness, I pray you’re able to, and you truly forgive from the depths of your heart. 💖 I’d highly recommend this podcast episode on forgiveness as well.
I hope this newsletter has encouraged you to reflect on your relationships. There might be some you walked away from prematurely due, some that need more tendering, and some that are just fine and need to be continually nurtured. Only you really know what is needed, but in all you do, I encourage you to let it all flow from a place of love.
As we wrap up this newsletter, here are some journalling prompts & a song to listen to:
☁️ Journalling Prompts
Are there people you know you need to forgive?
Are you struggling to forgive? If yes, why?
How is your heart towards people around you?
What is the state of your current relationships?
What steps are you going to take to review your current relationships?
As always I hope this met you where you are! Share with me any points that stood out to you. And if you haven’t already, get your ticket for our final community event, only a few tickets left.
And share with a friend who might need this!
See you next week!
Love,
Rhieme