Avoiding the 12 Relationship Mistakes Women Make

Shaffer Georgia

Description

Licensed psychologist and certified life coach Georgia Shaffer reveals 12 ways you could be undermining your chances of enjoying fulfilling relationships. Drawing on insights from Scripture and her own case studies, Georgia empowers you to identify blind spots in your own life, minimize their destructive impact, and turn damaging patterns into productive ones. You will also discover how to... develop your unrefined strengths acknowledge the power of brief feelings of fear, bitterness, and other toxic emotions face the pain of reality with courage recognize the impact of your past take responsibility for your poor choices and learn from them With compassion, candor, and grace, Shaffer provides you the encouragement and practical tools you need to make significant and lasting changes in your life.

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
• Date de parution: 01 février 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736949354
• Langue: English

Extrait

Endorsements
Avoiding the 12 Relationship Mistakes Women Make Georgia Shaffer
Seriously, how does she do that? How does Georgia Shaffer so completely nail those incredibly important relationship issues we so easily miss? Even better, Georgia s clear, practical, and beautifully biblical helps are spot-on for not simply identifying the obstacles, but for bringing us to the place of breakthrough-and bringing us to that sweet place of making better, wiser, God-honoring decisions. This is life-changing stuff!
Rhonda Rhea , author of 12 books, including Espresso Your Faith and Get a Grip
If I had read this book as a young woman I would have avoided so many mistakes that took years to unravel. Georgia does a masterful job of dissecting the relational mistakes we make and building a bridge to looking at ourselves authentically. Through this authenticity we are free to break away from guilt, pain, and shame and live in the relational freedom God intends for us.
Gari Meacham , international speaker and author of Spirit Hunger and Truly Fed
Staying on course in relationships will be easier than ever with your own relationship GPS system, as author G eorgia P owerful S haffer delivers spot-on direction once again with her advice to help women avoid serious relationship mistakes. Avoiding the 12 Relationship Mistakes Women Make is an indispensable companion for the journey.
Allison Bottke , author of the Setting Boundaries series.
Every high school should issue incoming freshmen with a copy of Avoiding the 12 Relationship Mistakes Women Make , but if your school fell down on the job, it s not too late. I m buying a copy for each of my daughters and enough extras to pass out to all my friends who can t understand why they just can t get this friend thing figured out. Because of this book, there are going to be a lot more women who are making the right relationships work.
Kathi Lipp , author of The Husband Project
If you are ready to recognize your relational blind spots and move forward into a brighter future, you re holding the right book. Like a cool big sister teaching you how to drive, Georgia shows you the clear path toward peace and fulfillment in your most important relationships.
Shannon Ethridge , author of the Every Woman s Battle series
Georgia s book is like having 12 sessions with a personal counselor. Writing with vulnerability about her own experiences, Georgia shares principles of healthy relationships and what we need to do to achieve them. If you want to understand yourself and others more fully, read this.
Poppy Smith , International Speaker, Author, Spiritual Life Coach
Relationship expert and life coach, Georgia Shaffer, skillfully and tenderly opens our eyes to potential blind spots in our closest relationships. With scriptural insight, thought-provoking instruction, and practical application steps, Georgia shows us how to avoid destructive interactions and be better equipped to enjoy healthier, more fulfilling relationships.
Sharon Jaynes , author of The Power of a Woman s Words
We all have relationship blind spots and Georgia Shaffer s book will help you develop good I sight. This book will help you see clearly and make good choices.
Linda Mintle , author of Letting Go of Worry
Are you a woman who is sick and tired and stuck when it comes to enjoying a successful and satisfying relationship? If so, Georgia Shaffer gives advice, encouragement, and spiritual inspiration to help you pinpoint what you re doing that doesn t work and what to do to make it work.
Karen O Connor , author of When God Answers Your Prayers
Revealing and honest, Georgia tenderly unveils the many layers of relationship mistakes that we make. In working through this book, I asked God to gently guide me to truth and He did. I found it to be freeing and strengthening, even though at times it was difficult and made me uncomfortable with myself. I experienced a tremendous amount of life-giving application and healing in this process. I highly recommend this book for any woman of any age.
Janette Felder , Women s Ministry Events Director Ada Bible Church
This is such a helpful and thought-provoking book. The tips were fantastic. I got insights, slaps in the face, and oh, wows ! all the way through the book. God has gifted Georgia with great insight and the ability to express it well in writing. You ll want to get this book and devour it!
Deb Haggerty , Certified Habits of Health Coach, Plymouth, MA.
HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Verses marked ( NLT ) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Verses marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Verses marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible , Copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Verses marked P HILLIPS are taken from J.B. Phillips: The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition. J.B. Phillips 1958, 1960, 1972. Used by permission of Macmillan Publishing Company.
Cover by Left Coast Design, Portland, Oregon
Published in association with the Books Such Literary Agency, 52 Mission Circle, Suite 122, PMB 170, Santa Rosa, CA 95409-5370, www.booksandsuch.com .
Cover photo Matthew Williams-Ellis / Shutterstock
Names and minor details have been changed in the real-life stories shared in this book to protect the privacy of the individuals mentioned.
AVOIDING THE 12 RELATIONSHIP MISTAKES WOMEN MAKE
Copyright 2014 by Georgia Shaffer
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shaffer, Georgia.
Avoiding the 12 relationship mistakes women make / Georgia Shaffer.
pages cm
ISBN 978-0-7369-4934-7 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-4935-4 (eBook)
1. Interpersonal relations-Religious aspects-Christianity. 2. Women-Psychology. I. Title. II. Title: Avoiding the twelve relationship mistakes women make.
BV4597.52.S53 2014
248.8 43-dc23
2013022892
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
Dedication
With love and appreciation to my truth-tellers:
Kyle, Ron, Gayle, and Linda.
You know me best and love me enough
to help me see what it is I do not see.
Acknowledgments
It is a real joy to show my appreciation to those who helped make this book possible.
I m especially grateful for those who prayed, shared their insights and wisdom, and encouraged me throughout this project: my mother, the Lancaster Writer s Group, Linda Jewell, Ron Hershberger, Penny Olivieri, Diane Pestes, Gayle Roper, Sue Smith, Leslie Vernick, and Deb Strubel for her editorial suggestions and support.
A special thanks goes to Janet Kobobel Grant, my literary agent, and Kathleen Kerr at Harvest House Publishers.
Contents
Endorsements
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Forewarned Is Forearmed
1 . I Don t See Myself As I Really Am
2 . I Fail to Pay Attention to My Limitations
3 . I Resist the Season of My Life
4 . I Discount the Cost of Negative Relationships
5 . I Justify My Poor Choices
6 . I Avoid the Pain of Reality
7 . I Minimize the Power of My Emotions
8 . I Deny the Impact of the Past
9 . I Don t Recognize My Self-Sabotaging Mindsets
10 . I Think I m the Exception to the Rule
11 . I Allow My Strengths to Become Weaknesses
12 . I Lose Sight of the Big Picture
Conclusion: Vision for Life
Appendix: What s Most Important to You?
Notes
About the Author
Introduction
Forewarned Is Forearmed
We re blind to our blindness.
D ANIEL K AHNEMAN
O ne of my friends lives near a blind curve in the road. In the twenty years I ve lived here, there has never been a fatal accident on that curve, she told me. About a mile from my home, however, there is an open stretch of road where there have been two fatalities.
What s the difference in the road? The blind curve is well marked. People usually slow down and drive more cautiously at that spot because they have been forewarned and understand they can t see what s ahead. In contrast, drivers on the open stretch are less attentive to potential dangers because they think they can see everything.
Like drivers who slow down and cautiously approach a dangerous curve, we need to be more alert to the most common relational mistakes we make in order to protect ourselves from the pain and heartache they can create.
There are some relational blunders we see immediately. For instance, you blurt out a sarcastic comment and instantly know it was the wrong thing to say. You attempt to make amends by saying, I m so sorry. I didn t think before I said that.
Other errors we tend to