I hear from so many of you about stresses in relationships. We all have them at times. It seems lately I’ve heard frequently (and even experienced myself) conversations that continue to occur repeatedly with the same people, almost verbatim, and nothing really results from those conversations. Do you know what I’m saying?

Because I have noticed this topic coming up often, I want to dig a little deeper into relationships this week. I’ll take each truth listed at the end of today’s devotion and expand on it tomorrow through Friday. Send me your thoughts and struggles. Let me know how I can pray for you. Thank you for reading what God puts on my heart.

There are few things more exhausting than having the same talk over and over again with someone you love, or at least care about, especially when the words are heavy with truth, hope, or prayer for change, and yet nothing seems to shift. Maybe it’s a child who refuses to listen, a spouse caught in a pattern, a co-worker, or a friend stuck in the same destructive cycle. You speak with care, you pray, you wait… and the next week, it’s like starting all over again.

It wears on you.

You start to wonder: What’s the point? Are they even listening? Am I just wasting my breath?

In moments like these, Scripture reminds us not to grow weary in doing good. Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (ESV)

The apostle Paul wasn’t speaking to people with easy lives. He was encouraging Christians who were persecuted, overlooked, and often rejected. Still, he urges: keep sowing. Why? Because a harvest is coming. God does not waste faithful effort, even when we can’t yet see its fruit.

Jesus knows this feeling, too. He taught the disciples with patience, and yet they often misunderstood. He healed people who might have just walked away. In Luke 17, when Jesus healed ten men with leprosy, only one returned to thank Jesus. Still, Jesus remained faithful because His ministry wasn’t driven by immediate results, but by obedience to the Father and love for others.

When we feel worn down by someone’s repeated choices or hardened heart, here are a few truths to hold onto:

1. You are not their Savior – Jesus is.
   It’s not your job to fix them. Your role is to reflect Christ and speak truth in love. The heart-changing work belongs to God.
2. Faithfulness matters more than fruitfulness.
   You may not see the results now or ever. But God sees your faithfulness, and He honors every word spoken in truth and grace.
3. Boundaries are biblical.
   While we’re called to love persistently, we’re not called to enable unhealthy patterns. Even Jesus walked away at times (come back Thursday to hear more). It’s okay to create space while continuing to pray and hope.
4. God is working in ways you can’t see.
   Seeds grow underground before they ever break through the surface. Trust that the Holy Spirit is moving, even if the evidence is hidden for now.

Loving people is hard. Relationships take work. They cost us something… our pride, our patience, our comfort. And if we’re honest, letting others love us can be just as difficult because we have just as many quirks and faults. But in both giving and receiving love, we reflect the heart of God. It’s not easy, but it’s what we’re called to. And by His grace, it’s possible.