The Bounce-Back | How to Overcome Setbacks

By Malcolm & Kristen Davis

How many times have you messed up in relationships and wanted to just shut down and shut off?  What do you do when you are working hard, and things are going well, and you mess it up?  How we respond or react will change everything.

For example, a few weeks back, we got into a big fight.  It had been a long time since we had a fight.  It began with talking about vacations and how we want to spend that time for the upcoming year.  The conversation escalated to yelling, and threats to quit working at our relationship.  What started as a simple planning conversation, ended in arguing, feeling defeated, and frustrated.  Wow!  How did we get there?  How did it escalate so fast?  We were both left with the question of What just happened?
 
We had to stop and ask ourselves; Do we really want to go backwards?  We each took some time to check our hearts and surrender to the Lord.  We purposed within ourselves and with God that we would love and forgive.  We apologized to one another and asked for forgiveness.  We forgave each other and set ourselves to continue working on our marriage.  
 
We have learned to move past failures by practicing the following:

• Getting with the Lord
• By rightly assessing ourselves
  • Acknowledging our own mistakes and apologizing
  • Acknowledging our success, progress made, and good things in the relationship
• Getting back to RINGS chats

Learn the RINGS Chat

• Going on a date
• Returning to doing the things that are helpful in the relationship
  • Gift giving, kind words, serving each other, etc.
• Prayer for each other

 
We all may trip and stumble in life and suffer a setback.  When these things occur, we can choose to humble ourselves and trust God and purpose in our hearts to continue to love each other.  Doing this, we will never fail.  We only fail when we quit.
 
Proverbs 24:16 (NLT)
The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.  But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.