Relationship Issues

Love and Boundaries: Resetting Relationships in Real Time

Love and Boundaries: Resetting Relationships in Real Time

Kate Motaung2025-05-29T09:03:20+00:00May 29th, 2025|Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues, Spiritual Development|

Boundaries are the limits that mark our responsibility in relationships, to others and for ourselves. They serve to protect our hearts, our most important asset. When we govern the core of our being well, it frees us from the destructive potential of damaging emotions and relationships. Scripture encourages us to guard our hearts, recognizing that every issue pertaining to life flows through this critical filter. The Bible on Boundaries Unquestionably, we are called to love, as it is our Father's nature. Loving God involves reciprocity. We return that love by sharing it with others. We receive His love for ourselves. That aspect of welcoming His compassion to love ourselves has not always been part of faith conversations. Yet, what causes us to excel with loving others well is the degree to which we allow the Father's love to fill us, so we can effectively pour His grace and glory. Loving ourselves well means that we acknowledge the treasure within, even as we esteem it in others. Boundaries in Action Jesus exemplified the value of boundaries. There were multitudes who followed Him, observing miracles, receiving the benefit of His mission on the earth. There were many others that He dispatched to share the message of the gospel. Whittle that down to a smaller number of followers, and you will encounter the women who supported His ministry, and His disciples. Further distilled, Peter, James, and John were in the core that He drew into closer fellowship. This picture of narrowed access and engagement reveals that even the Savior recognized the need to distinguish certain relationships. He loved everybody and came to save all, but He also exercised boundaries. He assigned position and proximity, based on the relevance to the assignment from His Father. Mind and Communicate Your Boundaries Sometimes, what flows through [...]

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Relationship Advice for Men: 9 Practical Tips

Relationship Advice for Men: 9 Practical Tips

Sandra Stein2025-04-08T16:10:20+00:00February 4th, 2025|Featured, Individual Counseling, Men’s Issues, Relationship Issues|

God did not create us to be isolated beings. We were made for community, to live life with others, and to get to know one another and to be known so we can encourage and support each other (Genesis 2:18). However because we live in a fallen world, all relationships are less than perfect and require work and commitment to thrive. Relationship advice for men is often helpful at this point. The measure of a happy, healthy relationship is not the absence of problems but rather the way inevitable problems are handled. Relationship Advice for Men: 9 Practical Tips Consider these tips that may help you be more connected and have greater harmony in your close relationships. Be intentional Good relationships take effort. Don’t take your partner for granted, pay attention to what her interests are and the kinds of things she enjoys doing, and plan your dates accordingly. At Rowlett Christian Counseling, we encourage intentional connection and practical steps that strengthen your bond every day. Build on friendship Make friendship the foundation of your relationship. Instead of starting with romantic dates, look for things to do that give you a chance to get to know each other and find common ground without forcing awkward conversation. Go for a hike, visit a museum, or take an art or cooking class. Volunteer together to do something that enables you to interact with each other while doing it, such as picking up trash in a neighborhood or walking dogs for an animal shelter. Create memories together that you can cherish. Pay attention to the little things Remembering little details such as your partner’s favorite things can say more than any grand gesture because it shows her that you have been paying attention and care about the little things that make her [...]

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Working Through Trust Issues in a Relationship

Working Through Trust Issues in a Relationship

Joanna Kucherera2025-04-08T16:14:26+00:00January 30th, 2025|Featured, Personal Development, Professional Development, Relationship Issues|

In Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, every hour or so, Old Faithful, the iconic geyser that attracts many visitors from across the US and the world, erupts for at least a minute. With temperatures reaching around 204°F, a few thousand gallons of hot water gush out of the geyser each time it erupts. Despite being dormant twice over the last century, the name ‘Old Faithful’ is a well-earned moniker. You can count on the spectacle of seeing the geyser erupt. One of the most precious commodities in a relationship is trust. Trust takes time to build and can be shattered in mere moments. If trust issues develop in a relationship, they undermine the foundation of the relationship and make it hard for it to function as before. Trust Issues in a Relationship When you say you trust someone, what do you mean? Trusting a person is making a statement about what we know of the person. We have seen enough of how they react in various situations to consider them reliable. You can predict what they’ll do, not because they are boring and follow the same script even in novel situations, but because you know their character. They will act consistently with who they are. At Rowlett Christian Counseling, we help individuals and couples explore the foundations of trust and build stronger, more authentic relationships. Just like Old Faithful, a trustworthy person will show up when you need them to. If they don’t, you know without asking that there must be a good reason for it. This is quite different from the person who is unreliable and therefore untrustworthy. You can’t predict whether they’ll show up, and you can’t believe them when they give you reasons why they can’t show up. In a relationship, trust issues are doubts or [...]

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The Importance of Self Reflection for Your Well Being

The Importance of Self Reflection for Your Well Being

Kate Motaung2025-04-08T16:34:31+00:00December 30th, 2024|Featured, Personal Development, Professional Development, Relationship Issues|

The philosopher Socrates is credited with having said that, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” By this, he meant that people have the capacity to think about the meaning and purpose of their lives, and doing this enables us to experience our lives and our humanity fully. We can use our minds to examine our lives, ask important questions, and try to discover the meaning of our existence in ways that other creatures in God’s creation cannot. There is a lot to be gained from taking the time and creating the space to reflect on your own life. Sometimes, we can become so caught up in doing activities that we fail to pause and ask ourselves what we are doing and why. Getting to the heart of these questions can be a huge help in our lives because it’ll support good mental and emotional health. At Rowlett Christian Counseling, we provide a safe and supportive environment to help you slow down, reflect, and reconnect with what truly matters. The Importance of Self-Reflection Life can just happen to us, barreling down at us at a hundred miles an hour. Our lives are busy, filled with meetings, phone calls, text messages, chores, conversations, and so much more. It’s possible to move from one thing to the next without really pausing to breath or to ask yourself important questions like, “Why am I doing this?” This is the reason why taking time to self-reflect is so important. If you don’t take the time to self-reflect, it can be easy to move through your life without thinking too much about it, and without ever pausing to see if what you’re doing is actually working well. When you take the time to self-reflect, it creates space for you to move beyond simply experiencing [...]

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Divine Desires: Strategies for Singles to Dethrone Shame

Divine Desires: Strategies for Singles to Dethrone Shame

Kate Motaung2025-04-08T16:49:37+00:00November 29th, 2024|Featured, Personal Development, Relationship Issues, Spiritual Development|

Movies, media, and memes have jested about the plight of the single protagonist left to the mercy of prying, though well-meaning family. Whether seated around the holiday table or enjoying a barbecue with friends and family, unmarried relatives are targeted, cornered, and interrogated. In a society that glorifies couples, tension surfaces when others offer unsolicited opinions about our romantic life as singles. Our holistic needs and concerns seem minimized in relation to those of our married counterparts. For those of us whose single life has been imposed by spousal death or divorce, extended due to education, career, or not yet finding a match, those feelings of exclusion also creep from culture into the churches where we fellowship. At Rowlett Christian Counseling, we recognize the unique experiences and emotional needs of singles and offer compassionate support to help you navigate this season with hope and purpose. Our leaders may mean well, but they may not have experienced widowhood, divorce, or an extended period of singleness. They may lack empathy, insight, or feel insufficiently equipped to teach or offer programming that addresses singles’ raw needs. Outreach and events for a variety of subgroups get spotlighted, but singles are seated at the “kid’s table” of ministry, often lumped with those whose demographics and needs may vastly differ. Between later marriages and climbing divorce rates, unmarried believers comprise a significant portion of our congregations, but ministry has not necessarily adapted with the change. The church has room to grow in how it engages, disciples, and serves singles as valued and integral parts of the body of Christ. Dueling Desires For singles, navigating desire is at the core of many external and internal conversations, whether public or private, secular, or spiritual. Enter the contrasting narratives. The world clamors endlessly about sex, but by contrast, [...]

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Gift-Giving within a Blended Family

Gift-Giving within a Blended Family

Stephanie Kramer2025-04-08T17:02:12+00:00October 14th, 2024|Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Gift-giving during the holidays can be particularly challenging in a blended family. With varying established traditions and expectations from different households, children can become confused and receive mixed signals. Assumptions regarding established family customs may lead to potential misunderstandings. Here are some ways to help you keep your holiday season merry, bright, and drama-free. Communication is key in gift giving To avoid potential conflicts and ensure that everyone feels appreciated, establish clear communication with your partner and the exes involved regarding gift-giving budgets and expectations. Agree upon a reasonable spending limit for each child and discuss appropriate gifts, ensuring that no one feels overlooked. Start the conversation early so you have time to decide on the proper gifts well in advance to avoid any last-minute scramble. Coordinate with your ex to prevent duplicate gifts. Many families choose to give joint gifts to children from both parents and stepparents, with separate gifts given by the other parent and their partner. If there is a particular gift that you both want to give to your child, consider giving it jointly and sharing the expense. At Rowlett Christian Counseling, we help blended families navigate these kinds of conversations with grace, clarity, and mutual respect. Some families cap the number of gifts each person receives or a budget they must stay within when purchasing gifts. Be mindful that your traditions and expectations might vary from that of your new family members. It’s best to have open communication about these expectations and decide early on how to approach gift-giving in the structure of your new family dynamics. Involve the children in gift giving Involve the children in the gift-giving process by encouraging them to create their gifts or choose gifts for each other. This will develop a sense of unity and allow them to [...]

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8 Signs of a Toxic Relationship

8 Signs of a Toxic Relationship

Melissa Plantz2025-04-08T17:05:01+00:00September 30th, 2024|Couples Counseling, Featured, Infidelity and Affairs, Marriage Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Toxic relationships are unhealthy and can undermine your physical, emotional, and mental health. Yet, many of us caught in this type of union have no idea that the relationship is not normal or healthy. We are too close to see the signs of a toxic relationship objectively. If it was your best friend involved with someone who constantly criticized, gaslighted, or betrayed them, you might be the first to speak up. However, it is time to uncover the truth and take a good look at your own relationship. Eight signs of a toxic relationship The signs of a toxic relationship are there, but it is true what they say, “love is blind.” It is as if we walk around with blinders. When we notice a sign, we may second guess our intuition, allowing self-doubt and the fear of overreacting to keep us from distancing ourselves. At Rowlett Christian Counseling, we help you recognize these signs with clarity and support you in making healthy, empowering choices for your emotional well-being. Instead of settling, consider the following eight signs of a toxic relationship and compare the behaviors to your partner’s actions. If they ring true, you must decide whether to pursue the relationship (possibly with counseling) or find your own path. You cannot trust your partner Betrayal comes in many forms, but the underlying theme is that you cannot trust your partner. It may be that they say they are going to be somewhere but never show repeatedly. Or it could be that they have betrayed you through infidelity or made terrible financial decisions behind your back. Often, people are repeat offenders, trying to behave to stay in your good graces until an opportunity presents itself that is too tempting. Once trust is broken, it is hard to regain. Even after [...]

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The Benefits of Post-Adoption Counseling

The Benefits of Post-Adoption Counseling

Kate Motaung2025-04-08T17:31:58+00:00July 31st, 2024|Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured, Relationship Issues|

Welcoming a new child into a family changes that family irrevocably, in amazing and often unforeseen ways. It’s a big decision and likely one of the most important decisions you will ever make. By the time your adopted child is officially home, you’ve filled out countless forms, had many meetings with the adoption agency, and are more than eager to start your journey as a family, so post-adoption counseling is probably furthest from your mind. Parenting, whether by adoption or otherwise, is a lifelong commitment with unique challenges that need to be overcome creatively. Every family’s adoption journey is unique, but finding post-adoption support can help you thrive as a family. That could be in the form of an adoption support group, as well as podcasts and other online resources that can help you with tips. Likewise, an adoptive family can make use of individual therapeutic counseling. At Rowlett Christian Counseling, we offer compassionate, faith-based counseling tailored to the needs of adoptive families, helping you navigate this journey with strength and grace. Post-adoption counseling: The basics A family that’s adopted or is still considering adopting can approach a counselor with expertise and experience in family counseling services which deal particularly with adopted children. Whether your adoptive children are older or young, there are therapeutic approaches that are appropriate to different age groups, and your counselor will know how best to work with them. Your counselor may meet with the parents alone, the child alone, or the family as a whole, depending on the circumstances. The sessions would be for around an hour, and there may be several sessions depending on what is being addressed. Counseling aims to address common issues that arise in adoptive families, including understanding how to build a cohesive family and effectively parent in a loving [...]

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Too Hot to Handle: Releasing Anger and Embracing Peace

Too Hot to Handle: Releasing Anger and Embracing Peace

Kate Motaung2025-04-10T06:32:57+00:00May 23rd, 2024|Anger Issues, Coaching, Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Misunderstanding creates an opening for the enemy. We hold others captive, locking them into words and actions said and done in a moment of haste. In these instances, the pain remains. It is the reality of living among other imperfect people in a flawed and fallen world. While anger is not a sin, holding anger that is not aligned with the Father’s Heart can cause more pain. This anger is too hot to handle and therefore, dangerous to our heart condition. When we hold anger, fear and pride bully us into silence. We don’t speak up to initiate the kind of heartfelt communication that leads to peace, freedom, and sometimes, reconciliation. Until our hearts find a resolution, we may nurse revenge fantasies, dreaming of opportunities to best those who injured us. Instead of affirming the personal value that was underestimated or overlooked, we seek to prove our worth. At Rowlett Christian Counseling, we help individuals ground their lives in this unshakable Truth, offering biblical guidance and encouragement in a world full of shifting values. Our hearts expose that we have unknowingly created an idol by focusing more on the other person than focusing on who God has been to us and what He has done. Sometimes, we believe that we have moved on from an incident, yet we punish those closest to us for what someone else has done. The name, face, or circumstance may be different, but something familiar triggers. It keeps us entrenched in an old cycle. We lash out at those near to us now, but in truth, our anger is toward the one who first hurt us. It may seem impossible and unlikely, but forgiveness will help us to disintegrate the stronghold that unresolved anger wields. When we withhold forgiveness, we deny our freedom. We [...]

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Finding Support When Getting a Divorce: Practical and Emotional Steps

Finding Support When Getting a Divorce: Practical and Emotional Steps

Caitlin Mallery2025-04-10T06:44:49+00:00May 16th, 2024|Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Going through a divorce is a difficult process, both emotionally and practically. It’s important to remember that you’re not alone, and some people can help you through this. This article will provide you with a roadmap for getting a divorce, from the practical steps to the emotional ones. It’s important to take things one step at a time and to be patient with yourself as you go through this process. Practical steps Separating households will involve several categories, and some things will vary by state. Looking up what your state requires is a good first step. Some local courts provide information packets that can get you started. Here are a few more broad checklists of things you need to separate. At Rowlett Christian Counseling, we understand the emotional and practical challenges that come with separation, and we’re here to support you through the process with compassion, clarity, and faith-based guidance. Financial Bank accounts. Retirement accounts. Tax records and documents. Financial records. Housing (rent or mortgage). Car insurance and payments. Utility accounts. After separation, you may need to create new accounts and passwords. Obtaining a copy of your credit report would be prudent. A financial advisor can provide valuable guidance in creating a budget and navigating this new phase. Personal Medical insurance. Itemized list of belongings: jewelry, tools, furniture, electronics, photos, books, etc. Mailing address. Birth certificate, marriage license. In the process of separating personal belongings, emotions can run high. It is crucial to approach this task with a focus on preserving what is truly valuable to you, rather than seeking ways to inflict pain on your former partner. When sorting through the smaller, more personal items, each individual’s situation will influence the ease or complexity of the task. Legal When getting a divorce, there are some legal considerations that [...]

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