NOTE: If you are in an abusive or life-threatening situation, you must seek help and assistance from the appropriate authorities.
“Love is choosing to be at your best when your partner is not at their best.”
Pastor Wintley Phipps
There are times when we may not be at our best, but we hope that those who are closest and dearest to us will cover us. Those that love us will be our strength when we are weak. They will speak when we cannot speak. They will know us well enough to know how we feel about matters and how to manage them, even if we cannot express it.
Either side of the position is not easy.
For the person who is not at their best, it takes a good amount of trust and dependence in someone else to support you in your time of need. Relinquishing control over yourself and your affairs and putting them in the trust of a loved one is still very difficult. In such a time, your trust must be more in God. In knowing that God controls everything. God can give the assistance to your loved one to be able to conduct your best wishes when you are not at your best.
For the person who has to be at their best, it is a heavy load to carry. The responsibility may seem overwhelming, but you can do it! You have to take it one day at a time. Maybe, one hour at a time and sometimes one minute at a time. You are stronger than you think. You have the power to be at your best at this time.
Explanations are not always clear.
In the best situation, you may know why your partner is not at their best. It could be a medical emergency, loss of job, or stress of some other kind. However, there are cases when we don’t know why our partner is not at their best. Often times, our partner may be confused as to why they are not at their best or they may be in denial. Nevertheless, we must rise to the occasion to become our best for our partner.
How do you do that?
It starts with prayer. Ask God to lead you to the scriptures that will sustain you during this time. A suggestion could be:
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 NKJV
I believe prayer and scriptures are the best remedy. However, for those who do not want to use scriptures, you can use affirmations. An affirmation is a statement as fact to provide emotional support and encouragement to oneself. An affirmation could be:
I am strong and able to be my best expression of love.
Once you have scriptures and/or affirmations to sustain you…
Speak them so that the words may pass through your tongue and from your lips. Speak them throughout the day. Speak them when you are strong and when you are weak. There is power in speaking words.
Listen to them so that you may hear the words through your ears. You can listen to a motivational, inspirational, or supportive message delivered by someone else or you can record yourself and listen to it later. There is power in what you expose yourself to hear.
Read them so that they may pass by your eyes. Find books and literature that support you in what you are trying to be and accomplish. Be aware that this is a learning time and you are in class. You are not expected to know how to always be at your best, but you are expected to be willing to learn how.
Love will give you the Perseverance
When you feel like you can’t bear anymore, love will give you the extra strength and perseverance to make it through and you will make it!
