Spiritual relationship help &
Building self esteem
Chicken Soup for the Soul cocreators Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen with Chris Karcher
ABC's Dr. Timothy Johnson,
Finding God in the Questions, and Chris
.
Lee Strobel, The Case for a Creator, and Chris Karcher
Spiritual relationship help &
Building self esteem
Spiritual relationship help &
Building self esteem
What's Unique...
...about Relationships of Grace?
What's Unique?
Benefits and Consequences
Summary Table
| Relationships of Grace | Non-Spiritual Approach |
| Inside-Out | External motivation (outside-in) |
| Spirit | Will |
| Beliefs | Behavior |
| Heart transformed | Heart deceitful |
| Transformation. | Imitation |
| Spirit filled | Self-sufficiency, mastery, striving |
| You cannot do it . . . alone. | You can do it. |
| God centered | Me centered |
| We all fall short | Perfection is standard |
| Value from birth | Works oriented |
Relationships of Grace adds a spiritual dimension to relationship improvement. Instead of promoting external change, it teaches change from the inside out.
Relationships of Grace can help you improve your relationships (love of self, others, and God) and live with passion by teaching you how to immerse yourself in grace.
Spirit verses will is the fundamental difference between Relationships of Grace and non-spiritual, self-help programs. Striving and self-mastery rely on willpower, which is never enough to attain the loving relationships we seek. The key is learning how to live the graceful, spirit-filled life.
Non-spiritual approaches focus on changing behavior with step-by-step lists of dos and don’ts. These methods are not inherently bad; they often teach important lessons. The problem is that working to change behavior is never enough.
Behavior follows beliefs. Long-term change requires changing the belief behind the behavior.
The difference is change through transformation rather than imitation. The heart is transformed in the spirit-filled life. The heart is deceitful1 when we resort to self-sufficiency and try to propel ourselves into goodness and happiness.
Change your heart and change your life.
We experience this transformation of the heart by becoming God-centered, by resting in God. None of us can do it alone.
Perfection is the standard with the non-spiritual, self-help approach. The message is “you can do it” and if you are not getting it “right,” just try a little harder. We begin to feel like failures when we can’t live up to our own standards of perfection.
The reality is that, try as we might, we all fall short2. None of us is perfect.
The magnificence of grace is that you are of value and God loves you anyway. Works oriented approaches convey the message that worth is earned through good deeds and accomplishments. When your heart is transformed, you will spontaneously do good deeds because of a changed heart, not because you are fearfully trying to earn your worth.
Stress, exhaustion, anger, hostility, and a feeling of “is this all there is?” are the consequences of an ungraceful world.
The benefit of entering the extraordinary world of grace is the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control3. Gratitude replaces feelings of dissatisfaction as you begin to uncover the blessings all around you.
Click here to learn about the acclaimed book Relationships of Grace.
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1 Jeremiah 17:9
2 Romans 3:23
3 Galatians 5