Great Relationship Work – In-laws

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

─ 1 John 4:7-8

Researchers from the Cooperative Legal Services studied 2,000 couples and 800 divorcees and found in one-third of the divorces, there was an underlying tension about how often we should see our parents, and how much time we should spend with them. Part of that research revealed that daughters are better at assuring their father they are still his little girl, if they have a good relationship with him, but sons are not as good as assuring their mothers that they still matter.

There’s a saying that goes, “A son is a son ’til he gets a wife, but a daughter is a daughter all her life.” Do you see how all of this could be a setup to the problems that can occur when we start having relationships with in-laws?

We shouldn’t assume we’ve got a great in-law relationship because the other side may not think it’s so great. There may be no better reason to work on a great relationship with our in-laws than 1 John 4:8, He who does not love, doesn’t know God – is a spiritual test. You may have a mother-in-law that is just driving you up the wall, or a sister-in-law that’s difficult, but as Christians, we have a responsibility to love them.

Today’s One Thing

Take some time to evaluate your in-law relationships. Ask the Lord in what ways He would have you demonstrate His love to them.

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