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Articles from Karla Downing | Selfgrowth.com
- Christian Relationship Help: How Anxiety in Difficult Relationships Contributes to the Dysfunction - by Submitted on Feb 10, 2013 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help to enable you to understand how anxiety in difficult relationships contributes to the dysfunction? Then this article will help you. Anxiety is a sense of disquiet or dis-ease that is experienced as mental or emotional distress. Anxiety isn't ...
Views: 1055 - Boundaries With Adult Children: Lessons From the Prodigal Son - by Submitted on Feb 09, 2013 from Karla DowningAre you trying to figure out your boundaries with your adult children? Then you will benefit from these lessons from the prodigal son. In Luke 15:11-32, a son asks for his inheritance early and then leaves his home to spend it foolishly. When he hits a bottom and realizes he needs to come home ...
Views: 5526 - Dysfunctional Family Christmas: The Serenity Prayer For The Holidays - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian marriage help will enable you to take back your power to change your life whether your husband or wife changes or not. The problems in your marriage are real and the changes you want your spouse to make are most likely reasonable. The dilemma that you have is that you can't make ...
Views: 1168 - Christian Marriage Help: Change Yourself, Not Your Spouse - by Submitted on Dec 17, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian marriage help will enable you to take back your power to change your life whether your husband or wife changes or not. The problems in your marriage are real and the changes you want your spouse to make are most likely reasonable. The dilemma that you have is that you can't make ...
Views: 1657 - Christian Marriage Help: Five Causes of Weak Marital Boundaries - by Submitted on Dec 15, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian marriage help to enable you to have stronger boundaries? If you have difficulty setting boundaries in your marriage you are probably tolerating more than you should and allowing yourself to be disrespected. Boundaries are simply what you will and won't do and when ...
Views: 1321 - Christian Marriage Help: Let Go Of The Obsession Over Your Husband's Behavior - by Submitted on Dec 10, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian marriage help that will enable you to let go of the obsession over your husband's behavior? Whatever takes up your mental and emotional energy and robs you of the ability to live your life is your obsession. When you have marriage problems that your husband will ...
Views: 2993(1 vote) - Christian Codependency: Four Things to Do to Stop Triangulating in Your Relationships - by Submitted on Nov 25, 2012 from Karla DowningIf you are looking for help with your Christian codependency, this article will help you by providing four things to do to stop triangulating in your relationships. You triangulate when you enter into a relationship dynamic between two other people in an attempt to fix the problem. Here ...
Views: 1744 - Christian Parenting: Three Things Parents Do That Ensures Irresponsible Entitled Adult Children - by Submitted on Nov 25, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian parenting help on how to raise responsible children? There is an epidemic of irresponsible adult children that need help from their parents well into adulthood. While there are justifiable reasons for this such as a bad economy, the high cost of living, the increase ...
Views: 2344 - Christian Relationship Help: Answers to Questions About Dealing With Alcoholism - by Submitted on Nov 24, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help gives you answers to questions about dealing with alcoholism. There are many dilemmas you deal with when someone you care about that drinks too much. Proverbs 20:1 says, "Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise" (NIV). It is ...
Views: 1194 - Christian Relationship Help: Four Ways to Respond to Passive Aggressive Behavior - by Submitted on Oct 13, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will provide you with four ways to respond to passive aggressive behavior in the people you interact with. The closer a person is to you, the more the passive aggressive behavior will be problematic. Jesus warned us to be on guard against people who will attempt ...
Views: 7913 - Christian Relationship Help: Actions Matter More Than Words In Your Difficult Relationship - by Submitted on Oct 13, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will show you that actions matter more than words in your difficult relationship. Difficult relationships are with difficult people and difficult people tend to say one thing but do something else. It is confusing when someone's actions don't match the words, but ...
Views: 1514 - Setting Boundaries With Your Adult Children: Five Signs You Are Enabling Your Adult Child - by Submitted on Oct 06, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you wondering if you are enabling your adult child? These five signs will help you to determine whether or not you are helping or hurting. "Enabling" means that your action allows someone to continue to do something they otherwise couldn't do without it. It is also doing something for others ...
Views: 2631 - Christian Relationship Help: Why Relationships With Narcissists Are Difficult - by Submitted on Oct 06, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will enable you to understand why relationships with narcissists are difficult. Good relationships have balance. There is give and take that attempts to meet the needs of both people (Philippians 2:4). In contrast, relationships with narcissists focus around ...
Views: 1257 - Christian Relationship Help: Five Characteristics of a Narcissist - by Submitted on Sep 16, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will enable you to recognize five characteristics of a narcissist. Narcissism is difficult to deal with in relationships and recognizing it will enable you to respond differently to it. Jesus was constantly aware of what was in the heart of the people he dealt ...
Views: 2092 - Christian Marriage Help: Boundaries With Sex for Christian Wives - by Submitted on Sep 16, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian marriage help regarding boundaries with sex in your relationship with your husband? If you believe you can't say no, are uncomfortable with your husband's sexual requests, find yourself disliking or avoiding sex, or are upset with your husband looking at ...
Views: 2882 - Christian Codependency: How to Recognize Burnout - by Submitted on Sep 15, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian codependency help that will enable you to recognize burnout? "Burnout" occurs when you have pushed yourself too far for too long (usually because you believe you have no other choice and God wants you to), and as a result you find yourself emotionally, physically, ...
Views: 2091 - Christian Codependency: Keeping the Peace in Unhealthy Ways - by Submitted on Sep 15, 2012 from Karla DowningIs your Christian codependency resulting in you keeping the peace in unhealthy ways? Here is a biblical example of someone who tried to keep the peace by covering up and fixing a problem codependently and as a result, it later escalated and caused more hurt and fallout. Absalom intervened ...
Views: 1230 - Christian Relationship Help: What to Do With Five Common Alcoholic Dilemmas - by Submitted on Sep 09, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will tell you what to do with five common alcoholic dilemmas. When someone you care about drinks, you naturally want to make him/her stop. Drinking isn't good for the person or your relationship. People who care about a drinker can get too caught up in rescuing, ...
Views: 1129 - Setting Boundaries With Your Adult Children The Way God Sets Boundaries With His Children - by Submitted on Sep 09, 2012 from Karla DowningChristians aren't the only people who need boundaries--everyone does--but when setting boundaries, Christians want to feel assured that the choices they are making are pleasing to God and biblically based. Knowing how God sets boundaries with you as his child helps you know how to set boundaries ...
Views: 1874 - Releasing Your Prodigal Child God's Way - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2012 from Karla DowningIf you have a prodigal child, releasing isn't your first response. Your first response is to hold on tighter and try to force change any way possible. God has prodigal children too. He feels the same about them as you do yours. Releasing your prodigal child God's way is healthier than holding on ...
Views: 1204 - Christian Codependency: Loving Too Much - by Submitted on Aug 30, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you struggling with Christian codependency and finding yourself loving too much? Jesus told us that the two main commandments were to love God and others. A popular Christian song had the following lyrics: "And they will know we are Christians by our love." Christians know they should love, ...
Views: 1243 - Christian Relationship Help: How to Honor and Respect Parents Who Aren't Honorable or Respectable - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help to guide you in how to honor and respect parents who aren't honorable or respectable? One of the Ten Commandments given by God is to honor your mother and father and it came with the promise that the Israelites would live long in their land (Exodus ...
Views: 2277 - Christian Parenting: How To Teach Your Son To Respect Women - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2012 from Karla DowningIt is your job as a parent to teach your children. Much of this teaching has to be intentional. One of the things that you must be conscious of is how to teach your son to respect women. God created men and women to be different but not to be any less valuable. Throughout history, women have ...
Views: 2339 - Christian Relationship Help: Healthy and Unhealthy Triangulation in Dysfunctional Families - by Submitted on Aug 26, 2012 from Karla DowningTriangulation in dysfunctional families can be healthy and unhealthy. There are many ways you can "triangulate" which simply means to get involved in a relationship between two people in an attempt to fix it. Dysfunctional family dynamics give you many opportunities to get involved some of which ...
Views: 1848 - Christian Relationship Help: Five Signs You Are Enabling Your Parents - by Submitted on Aug 26, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will give you five signs that you are your enabling parents. 2 Corinthians 12:14 says, "After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children" (NIV). You don't anticipate having to make difficult choices as an adult as ...
Views: 1551 - Christian Relationship Help: Three Dangerous Dating Mistakes Christians Make - by Submitted on Aug 24, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help to enable you to be wise in dating? Here are three dangerous dating mistakes Christians make that will keep you in a bad relationship: You believe God brought you together. If you believe that God brought you together, then it will be confusing ...
Views: 1401 - Prodigals: Components of a Healthy Parent to Adult-Child Relationship - by Submitted on Aug 23, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you wondering what your relationship should be like with your adult child? When you raise your minor children, you focus on training, discipline, and obedience. When your child becomes an adult, the relationship between you changes. If your child is a prodigal because he/she is doing things ...
Views: 1150 - Christian Relationship Help: Causes of Anxiety in Relationships - by Submitted on Aug 19, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help to understand the various causes of anxiety in relationships? Anxiety is mental or emotional distress or uneasiness because of an underlying fear. Relationships evoke deep emotional reactions-many of which we don't really identify fully. These ...
Views: 4578 - Christians and Boundaries: Six Questions to Guide You in Setting Biblical Relationship Boundaries - by Submitted on Aug 19, 2012 from Karla DowningIf you are struggling with being a Christian and having boundaries, then these questions will guide you in setting biblical relationship boundaries. One of the reasons boundaries are hard to figure out is because they are different for each person and circumstance. Difficult relationships have ...
Views: 1169 - Overcoming Christian Codependency - Four Truths To Determine When To Put Yourself Before Others - by Submitted on Aug 13, 2012 from Karla DowningWhen overcoming Christian codependency, how do you know when you should put your needs or the other person's needs first? By applying these four truths: 1.You have to stay emotionally, physically, spiritually, and mentally healthy. Ephesians 5:29 "After all, no one ever hates his own body, ...
Views: 1367 - Setting Boundaries With Your Adult Children: Five Ways God Wants You To Parent Your Adult Child - by Submitted on Aug 04, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you wondering about setting boundaries with your adult children? Parenting your adult child sounds like an oxymoron. The two really shouldn't go together, but they often do. There is an epidemic of children eighteen years and older (even much older) that still require involvement from their ...
Views: 1692 - Christian Codependency: Four Biblical Reasons You Need Strong Relationship Boundaries - by Submitted on Aug 19, 2012 from Karla DowningIf you are struggling with Christian codependency, you probably have weak boundaries. This article will give you four biblical reasons you need strong relationship boundaries. People will know their choices carry consequences. God has established the law of reaping and sowing to teach people ...
Views: 2040(1 vote) - Christians and Boundaries: How To Teach Your Daughter Not to Tolerate Abuse - by Submitted on Jul 28, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you a Christian struggling with boundaries? If so, you may be concerned about what you are modeling to your daughter. As a parent of a daughter, you want her to be treated well by the men she will date and the man she will marry. This article will show you how to teach your daughter not to ...
Views: 2099 - Christian Relationship Help: Understand How Fear Affects Your Difficult Relationships - by Submitted on Jul 23, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help to enable you to understand how fear affects your difficult relationships? This article will provide you with some answers. If your loved one is acting in ways that are risking his/her health, safety, financial, spiritual or relational security, ...
Views: 965 - Christian Relationship Help: Recognizing Emotional Manipulation - by Submitted on Jun 16, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will enable you to recognize emotional manipulation. Dysfunctional people often use tactics to manipulate you to get what they want. These people are usually skilled at recognizing the weaknesses they can exploit. The only way to counter their ability to get to ...
Views: 5342 - Christian Relationship Help: What Does It Mean to Suffer for Good in Relationships? - by Submitted on Jun 05, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help that will enable you to understand what it means to suffer for good in your relationships? Misunderstanding regarding this teaching leads to unhealthy choices in relationships. First Peter 3:17 says, "It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer ...
Views: 1220 - Four Dysfunctional Family Characteristics That You Can Change - by Submitted on Jun 05, 2012 from Karla DowningDysfunctional families have similar characteristics regardless of the individual problems. Here are four dysfunctional family characteristics that you can change: Unpredictability - Life has twists and turns, but healthy relationships are pretty predictable compared to unhealthy ones because ...
Views: 3837 - Are You a Perfectionist or Someone Who Values Doing Things Well? - by Submitted on May 29, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you wondering if you are a perfectionist or just someone who values doing things well? Answer the following seven questions: When you fail or fall short of your expectations, do you: Beat yourself up in your mind with negative self-talk? People who value doing the best they can ...
Views: 1729(1 vote) - Christian Relationship Help: Five Unhealthy Characteristics of Dysfunctional Families - by Submitted on May 29, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian relationship help will give you five unhealthy characteristics of dysfunctional families that were also present in families in the Old Testament. God created families to be a place of nurture, love, and companionship, but when sin entered the picture, families became a place where ...
Views: 2579 - Christian Marriage Help: How to Face Your Fears - by Submitted on May 24, 2012 from Karla DowningThis Christian marriage help will show you how to face your fears in your difficult marriage. Fear is a natural response. It is a God-given basic survival mechanism to protect by enabling a person to heighten senses and attend to what is threatening by either fighting or fleeing. Some people ...
Views: 1501(1 vote) - Dysfunctional Families: How to Take Care of Your Children in the Midst of The Dysfunction - Part One - by Submitted on May 24, 2012 from Karla DowningIf you are in a dysfunctional marriage and have children, you have a dysfunctional family. This article is the first in a series to show you how to take care of your children in the midst of the dysfunction. Few things cause as much pain, anguish, anger, guilt, fear, anxiety, and frustration as ...
Views: 1500 - Christian Relationship Help: Do Christians Have Rights in Relationships? - by Submitted on May 23, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help? It is often said that Christians need to lay down their rights in relationships to please God. Let's look at what the Bible says about Christians having rights in relationships. The main teaching to support laying down your rights is the fact ...
Views: 1446 - Christian Relationship Help: How to Love in a Difficult Relationship - by Submitted on May 21, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian relationship help to know how to love in a difficult relationship? As Christians, we are commanded to love our neighbors, families, friends, and enemies. Love in a healthy reciprocal relationship is hard enough, but love in difficult relationships is even harder. ...
Views: 1121 - Christians and Boundaries: What Would Jesus Do in Your Difficult Relationship? - by Submitted on May 21, 2012 from Karla DowningBoundaries in relationships aren't always easy to figure out due to the many complicated dynamics that can exist. Christians are concerned with making choices in relationships that follow biblical principles to please God. It is helpful to look at how Jesus demonstrated boundaries in his ...
Views: 1888 - Forgive Yourself: God Wants You to Let Go of Your Past and Live Your Life - by Submitted on May 16, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you struggling with forgiving yourself for things you have done and haven't done? Many people have more trouble forgiving themselves than other people. It can be especially hard when the consequences of your actions have hurt others and there is no way to remove them. King David gave us a ...
Views: 1374 - Christian Marriage Help: Six Ways to Respond to Your Husband's Use of Pornography - by Submitted on May 16, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian marriage help because your husband is using pornography? Here are six ways to respond to your husband's use of pornography: Honesty. Be honest about how you are feeling about the porn and how it is affecting your relationship. Be honest about what you need. Be ...
Views: 1308(1 vote) - Christian Marriage Help: What Submission Is and Isn't - by Submitted on May 15, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian marriage help? Are you wanting to know what submission is and isn't? Then, this article will answer your questions. Ephesians 5:22-24 says, "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord" (NIV). Sounds simple, but what does that really mean in a marriage? Some ...
Views: 1045(1 vote) - Three Causes of Christian Codependency - by Submitted on May 15, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for help for your Christian codependency? If so, one of the things you might be wondering is what caused your codependency. In the 1980s, codependency was originally used to describe the dysfunctional patterns of family members of chemically dependent people who were also called ...
Views: 2525 - Four Common Misconceptions About Forgiveness - by Submitted on May 14, 2012 from Karla DowningWe are commanded to forgive those that injure us, if we want to be forgiven by God (Matthew 6:14-15). Here are four common misconceptions about forgiveness that make it more difficult to do: It will let the person who wronged you off the hook if you forgive. Forgiveness is about letting go ...
Views: 2960 - Christian Marriage Help: Wives Believe Internet Pornography Is Cheating - by Submitted on May 14, 2012 from Karla DowningAre you looking for Christian marriage help because you are a wife that believes internet pornography is cheating? "Internet cheating" is rampant even with men in the church. It includes viewing pornography, engaging in chat room conversations, sending personal pictures online, and ...
Views: 1933(1 vote)