Healthy VS Unhealthy Relationships in Nigeria

Healthy relationships are made up of people with Healthy hearts. Healthy relationships prevent sinful self-obsession that leads to addictions. A healthy relationship promotes the opposite of addiction. Healthy relationships contain genuine love which exudes openness, trust and freedom. There are many striking differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships. Identifying these differences helps us to understand how we can grow toward healthy relationships:

1. Friendship VS Victimization: In healthy relationships, good friends become better friends. Unhealthy relationships are shallow and susceptible to being marked by victimization.

2. Security VS Fear: Security is a rare commodity. Most of the time, we feel an overwhelming need for at least one relationship to make us feel safe. 1 John 4:18 says "There is  no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear". When we are in Healthy relationships we focus on the needs of others and we calm their fears by being reliable. This drives out fear and provides genuine security.

3. Vulnerability VS Defensiveness: In a secure relationship, a person is free to open up and be vulnerable. In this sense, vulnerability is delightful because it enables you to discover more of who you are and appreciate all the good that God created in you. In a relationship characterized by fear, there is always a need to build up a defensive wall. This gradually leads to "death" rather than to life and growth.

4. Sacrifice VS Demand for Sacrifice: Not many books and magazines exalt the joys of sacrifice. Most of us demand sacrifice from our partners rather than sacrificing ourselves. Character is created in a relationship when love requires the surrender of privilege. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the potential for a relationship. God's relationship with us required nothing less than the utmost sacrifice of his son, Jesus Christ.

We incline for less than God's best when we compromise and settle for a partner out of necessity, emptiness and isolation. You compromise when you fall in love with just anyone who seems to be interested in you. You also compromise when you go against your sexual behavioral principles. In an unhealthy relationship, one person is the constant giver, while the other is the constant receiver. A healthy relationship is typical for trust, strength and support.