Why Relationships Fail

Relationships fail for many reasons. You’ve seen it happen a thousand times and I’ve seen the same. And while each relationship is composed of different parts and therefore is its own unique snowflake, it doesn’t change the fact that a lot of relationships end for the same reasons. Taking the time to list all the reasons why relationships fail would take a very long time and since I know our attention spans are lucky to last even past this paragraph, how ‘bout we just examine three of the major reasons and call it a day? Sound good? Good!

Behold, three popular reasons relationships go the way of the dodo bird:

The “Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me!” Reason
We humans are a selfish lot as a whole, so it’s only fitting that some of us set aside the wants and needs of our significant other and instead, try to make everything in our relationships about us. We want attention and affection without giving any in return. We decide things without considering our partners position on the situation. We pitch a fit (that may be a Southern saying…?) when things don’t go exactly our way. All of these actions (and these are just a few samples of selfish behavior) weaken a relationship to the point of collapse if the behavior isn’t remedied.
If we care about our partner and want our relationship to progress and flourish, it’s important to make our union one of compromise and consideration. It takes communication and acknowledgement that we’re not the only ones affected by our actions or attitude. We have someone else who’s there to help us and for us to help in return. A relationship is about give and take; being selfish hampers that process to the point of relational death.

“What We Have here is a Failure to Communicate!”
As I’ve said a hundred or so times, communication is the key to any successful relationship (or so I’ve been told; I’ve never actually had a successful relationship so…). That means sharing the good AND the bad with your partner.
Feeling down for one reason or another? Instead of letting your stressful situation affect your relationship in a negative way, trust your partner by letting them into what’s bothering you. Not only will sharing your problems lighten your load, but a united front of you and your significant other together will make your issue easier to face.
It’s when we bury things deep down inside and refuse to confide in our partner that we begin to allow our relationship to be torn apart. And unless you’re actually wanting the relationship to end, that is not a good thing.
Share and share alike to give your relationship the chance to survive it deserves.

“When Three Become Twooooo” (Yes, I just paraphrased a Spice Girl song. Sue me)
The Spice Girls song referenced above actually says, “When two become one…” but for the sake of this article, I had to switch it up a bit.
Some times in our relationships, we think that we are the only two people needed to make a relationship successful. And in that thought process, we are wrong because a relationship bent on being a success wisely includes God as well. “It takes three to make a thing go right” if you will (that song reference may be too ancient for like 90% of my readers…).
If we build our relationship on the will of God, then we are more likely to have a better, more fulfilling relationship. Sure, there are relationships not built on the will of God that have been successful, but why not utilize the One who holds our lives in His hands in the first place? Exactly! We should!
Our God wants the best for us in every aspect of our lives, so if we allow Him to be an equal member of our romantic relationship (not in the creepy way. Jesus isn’t your boyfriend or your lover), then we’re crawling closer to being where He wants us to be in life.
Including God in our lives is never a bad thing. And to include him in our relationship only increases the chance that things will end in “Happily Ever After” instead of “I never want to see your stupid face again!”

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