by I.B. Netters

Growing is one thing we can all count on every day.  Not just physical growth, but our capacity to learn and spiritual development as well. There are different ways to measure our growth; the way we look or feel, by what information we know or can recall, and what we believe or how we live.  This column is devoted to discovering what it takes to grow into what ever you want to be.

Human nature causes us all to form relationships. Some relationships where formed even before we took our first breaths, like the ones we have with family.  Other relationships where developed through institutions that shape our society like with teachers, your pastor, and the people that lived in the neighborhood you grew up in.

The relationships that have the most impact on your growth and the ones that last the longest contain three distinctive attributes: time, interest/passion, and the exchange of knowledge. Today I would like to focus on the first, time.

It takes a certain amount of time for anyone to become familiar or comfortable with another person.  The amount of time is different for every situation, but the fact is a period of time must past before you even accept whatever it is that person is presenting. 

For some reason we don’t always realize this fact when it come to romantic relationships.  Or maybe we do realize this fact and we consciously put our better judgment aside to fulfill an immediate need or desire. In the later case, this type of thinking leads to what some medical professionals call “high-risk behavior”. 

What we have to understand is that meaningful relationships are molded by time.  It takes time to understand what you want out of a relationship, what you can offer the relationship, and what your partner expects out of the relationship.  If you really want to have healthy a relationships with anyone, take the time to let the relationship grow.

Contact Ike at INetters@b-now.com