You didn’t hear back from someone. You were left out of something. You just don’t feel like you are measuring up to someone that matters to you. There seems to be a rub or a weird vibe with him or her. You discerned someone was upset with you.

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar to you? We’ve all been caught up in moments like these and before you look through this phone or computer at me so holy, go ahead and admit you have or you are working though one of these kinds of predicaments right now! Or maybe just simply someone is getting on your nerves or you or getting on someone else’s nerves…. You get the point. Relational drama that wasn’t saved for your Mama! What to do?

Here’s what to do. Simple yet maybe not easy. Assume positive intent. Innocent until proven guilty. Thinking the best of someone. Truly believing they have good intentions. Cutting someone some slack. However you want to say it but here’s what I mean by “assume positive intent”. It actually can become a habit to assume the worst of someone or thinking you know what they are thinking. This could be the single most destructive relational quirk that sabotages the best of friends and the closest of siblings.

It can happen over every day conversations or with major times of pressure like right now in a pandemic! When we get uncomfortable and feel under pressure, we can shift into playing the blame game, become more critical than usual and forget to assume positive intent. When we assume positive intent, we yield to love instead of fear. That’s one way that perfect love casts out fear of people having bad motives toward us. One way leaves us care free, safe, and happy in our relationships and the other finds us bound up in fear, anger, and bitterness about intent that may not even be what you think you know it is.

If you find yourself in toxic relationships over and over, check to see if you have a habit of assuming positive intent or a habit of thinking you know what people think, the gift of discernment which many times isn’t that at all but rather a critical spirit.

Ask God to show you where you need to repent of a critical spirit and of fear and replace it with assuming positive intent with family, friends, children, coworkers and even yourself!! Read 1 Corinthians daily and put your name in place of the word “love” and read it in many translations.

If this was a blessing, you will love my new book Love ANYWAY! Lots more where this came from in the book and in my Online 8 module course I’m giving away when you purchase the book for FREE that also comes with access to a Private Book Club as well only for the next 48 hours or less!!! Order yours TODAY! I share all kinds of practical handles to Love ANYWAY and about how to receive God’s love in a practical way that enables you to love God ANYWAY when things don’t work out for you the way you think they should. And loving God Anyway paves the way for you to be able to love yourself ANYWAY which opens up the possibilities to love someone else ANYWAY! You can order my brand new book at AdrienneCooley.store and it Releases to Amazon and anywhere books are sold TOMORROW!!!! So so excited. Please help me spread the happy and share the love on social media and hashtag #GodisLoveisHappy ! Pls share like and comment on everything you can to do with the book. Please like, comment and share. It helps so much!!!

See you at #my9LIVES this week – 9 am on Instagram and FB live coffee on my back patio with me:) Each #WomanCrushWednesday there is a special guest with me on #my9lives so be sure to tune in then!

Happy Monday!

Adrienne Cooley

AdrienneCooley.store

AdrienneCooley.com