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They say that a picture is worth a thousand words.  But pictures can also fail to tell an entire story.  I watch a fair amount of true crime programs.  It’s not uncommon in these stories for a snapshot of a couple to be shown on the screen in which the husband and wife appear to be living their best life.  But in many cases, one of them ends up killing the other a month or two later.  The picture lied.

Just as a picture of smiling couples may not tell the entire story, the reverse can be true as well.  Not long ago, I walked out onto my front porch and was greeted by the sorriest looking plants I’d ever seen.  We were in the midst of a triple-digit heat wave and the plants had taken a beating.  Every stem was limp, literally drooping over in sides of the pots.

In that moment, they looked dead; I held little hope they could be revived.  But I didn’t want to toss them without at least trying.  So, I moved them further into the shade and gave them a thorough watering.  Much to my surprise, less than 24 hours later, they had not only sprung back, there were blossoms on them! 

Like those struggling plants, our relationships can reach points where they look dead, beyond any hope of being resurrected.  But here’s the reality, those dying relationships don’t need to be tossed aside either, they need to be nurtured.  They need to be fed with time, attention, kindness, and respect.  We will either water the seeds of bitterness, or we’ll water the roots of our relationships.  And what we water will grow.

As you gaze at a discouraging relationship, remember it’s only a snapshot – a moment in time.  God wants your relationships, including your marriage, to succeed, and guess what?  He is “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).  Ask Him; seek His face; surrender your relationship, and your will, to Him.  Then grab the relational watering can and pour yourself out for the good of the other, and watch what God might do.

Remember, a picture, good or bad, is a snapshot in time – it never tells the whole story. –Dave

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