6 Signs of a Healthy Relationship

What is a Healthy Relationship?

Sometimes it is hard to know what a healthy relationship looks like. It is easy to think a healthy relationship is always happy and conflict free. But in reality, a healthy relationship isn’t without hardship or conflict because it is made from two imperfect people who make mistakes. What makes a relationship healthy is how the couple behaves day to day. How do they treat each other? How do they handle conflict and stress? A healthy relationship is built on mutual respect and each person taking responsibility for their own actions.

When a couple is willing to do the work to resolve conflict in a way that honors God and each other, they will grow together in a healthy and stable way. This takes practice, grace, and forgiveness (a good sense of humor helps, too!). 

Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each others, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Ephesians 4:32

6 Signs You Are in a Healthy Relationship

1. You and your partner honor one another. You talk well of each other, "brag" about the other and think about how your actions affect each other.
2. You respect each other through open, kind, and honest communication. You don't use put downs or demeaning comments, especially around other people.
3. You build up one another by looking for ways to tell the other what they are doing right and what you love about them.
4. You both practice self-control. When conflict arises, there are no (or minimal) explosive reactions. Feelings are expressed and talked through with the goal of a stronger relationship at the end.
5. Partners seek to please the other through knowing how to show love and appreciation...finding out the other's love language and doing things that express love in that way.
6. Each partner is safe and protective of the other. Looking out for the other, not letting others take advantage or belittle them.

'...and you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength' the second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no greater commandment than these."

Ephesians 4:32