Part of healthy relationships is a healthy sense of self, one which is not inflated by arrogance or disabled by low self-esteem. Our relationship with ourself is rooted in our relationship with God. It is within God’s love and grace for us that we are able to gain a true understanding of our self and an accurate understanding of our strengths and weaknesses. True humility consists in that rootedness: in knowing what we can and cannot do and avoiding both false pride or false humility.

“You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family!” Our families molded us into the people we are today. While we may not always agree with our family members, or even enjoy their company, a healthy spirituality includes functional and loving relationships with family members. This means offering forgiveness or apologies as needed. It may also mean confronting past or current abuse and taking steps to end that abuse.

We hope that as a member of Evergreen, you consider the people of Evergreen to at least be friends, if not extended family members! How we handle relationships with people who are not close family members is important. Most people have a few close friends outside of their immediate family. Additionally, extended family relationships are important to maintain.

This is the widest area of the Relational Pathway. It consists of the communities you are involved in: neighbors, coworkers, volunteer organizations, book clubs, etc. Finding an appropriate amount of time to invest in these communities is a difficult step to take, but a necessary one. In this area, we strive to be at peace with everyone.