Family Life and Friendships

Many find it daunting to maintains strong personal relationships.  Consider principles that can help you improve your life socially.

BE UNSELFISH

BIBLE PRINCIPLE: "Look out not only for own interests, but also for the interest of others." - PHILIPPIANS 2:4.

WHAT IT MEANS:  Successful relationships are more about giving than about receiving.  If you follow a selfish course of life, you can damage your relationships with others.  For example, a selfish marriage mate may be disloyal to his or her partner.  Additionally, nobody wants to make friends  with a person who always boasts about what he owns or knows.  Thus, as the book The Road to Character says, "self-centeredness leads  in several unfortunate directions." 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

* Help others.  Strong friendships stem from a sense of commitment and trust. Some studies indicate that people who help others suffer less from depression and boost their own self-esteem.

* Show empathy.  Empathy has been described as feeling another person's pain in your heart.  If you show empathy, you will be less likely to use biting sarcasm,that is, sharp and often ironic expressions intended to hurt the feelings of another person.

When you show empathy, you also become tolerant of others. Thus, empathy can help you to avoid being prejudiced and also to make friends from different cultures or backgrounds.

Give of your time. The more time you spend with others, the better you will get to know them. You need to have meaningful conversations with others to make real friends. So be a good listener. Show interest in your friends' concerns.   A real study states that "deep conversations may actually make people happier." 

Next time: Family Life and Friendships - CHOOSE FRIENDS WISELY

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