‘The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.’ Proverbs 24:16 NLT When it comes to handling relationships, we all have our pluses and minuses, strengths and weaknesses. So to flourish in a relationship, we must learn to persevere. Even when we’ve done the best we can to reduce our potential for failure, we must still be ready for it. If we stay stuck in self-defeat, guilt, and shame over missed chances and incorrect choices in one particular relationship, we’ll never experience the freedom we need to sustain our other relationships. One pastor says: ‘To counter that, I allow myself a 10 per cent ratio for failure in a relationship to work out the way I thought it would.’ That’s good advice! So with that in mind, remind yourself that no matter what circumstances occur, or which relationships fail miserably, you’ll eventually come out stronger. You’ll learn from them, draw closer to God, and be able to thank Him for the blessings that still remain in your life. When you really stop and think about them, you’ll start to notice so many! When you think about the long list of gifts that remain in your life even in the middle of difficulties, losses, and frustrations, you’re better able to see the big picture and not just the problem in front of your eyes at that moment. Gratitude is a great antidote to self-pity and despair. Thanksgiving lifts you back to a position of seeing your relationships and life more clearly. If you really want a particular relationship to work, commit to praying for the other person, loving them unconditionally, and investing in them. Then trust God to do the rest! There’ll be times when He’ll say it’s time to end a relationship, and that can be heartbreaking, but you can be certain He knows best and He’s always there to strengthen and comfort you.