Advice (from me to me)

Advice      (from me to me)  

Advice:

• love and forgiveness are priority (given not earned)

• know your own limits and needs (set boundaries accordingly) 

• limit expectations & requirements of others (limit does not mean eliminate) **

• communicate clearly (with specifics) 

• communicate in love (sincere, humble, and without hypocrisy) (!)

• be curious and interested (don't assume or interrogate) (i)

• continue to make repeated efforts to communicate

• forgive what you don't understand and accept our differences ++

** especially when when planning and executing your plan of action(s) - your responsibilities are your responsibilities not somebody else's, your choices are your decisions to make and follow through on, your choices to help or not help, or to do or not do - but living in relationship and community means that there will naturally be some obligations and requirements that we have to reasonably make of others, and vise-versa - only let us do what we can to live in peace and respect for each other and (as much as possible and reasonable) limit the obligations we place on others as it relates to our own choices and plans

(!) as much as it depends on you, communicate in such a way that the one you are “speaking” with is able to “hear” your love - and make sure your love is sincere, humble, and without hypocrisy and is communicated as such -  and before you offer loving correction for wrong doing, examine yourself and make self correction first, so that you may be able to help without causing permanent damage to others 

(i) don't assume ask questions especially when additional information is neededbut don’t ask too many prying questions - interrogations tear down and should only be employed in emergent situations when all other repeated methods of communication have failed.

++ there are things that people do or say that may not make any sense to us - rather than accuse and/or interrogate, we should strive to simply forgive them without asking for much (if any) explanation and should strive to accept that we are all different, and encourage each other in the Lord toward love, faith, hope and good deeds, with love, & grace extended toward each other - It is okay to correct, accepting our differences does not mean we don't correct wrong behavior, but as I stated earlier -  and before you offer loving correction for wrong doing, examine yourself and make self correction first, so that you may be able to help without causing permanent damage to others

... applying to the best of my current ability biblical principles and the example of Jesus Christ ...