Learning to Live the Love We Promise For People Who Believe in Commitment...and Wonder Why

by SMEDES, LEWIS B.

• ISBN13: 9780877884682
• ISBN10: 0877884684
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-03-20
• Publisher: Shaw Books

Summary

Each one of us enjoys deep relationships held together by an invisible cord called commitment, and every important community depends on the strength of that unseen cord. At times, we find it a joy to keep our commitments. At others, it seems difficulteven impossibleto honor those spoken and unspoken pledges. If you deeply desire to make and keep commitments... If you want insight into what makes relationships work or to learn what to do when a relationship is in crisis... If you feel trapped by a bad commitment and wonder if you can experience grace and a new beginning... Best-selling author Lewis Smedes offers insights that will profoundly affect the way you interact with and relate to others. Find out what you and those you love can gain from committed relationships; discover how to cope when someone close to you breaks your trust; and determine which, if any, relationships should continue foreveras well as how you can make these relationships lastinLearning to Live the Love We Promise.

Author Biography

<b>Lewis B. Smedes, </b>former professor of theology and ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary, is the author of numerous books, including <i>Forgive and Forget </i>and <i>How Can It Be All Right When Everything Is All Wrong?</i>

Table of Contents

Introduction: For People Who Believe in Commitment...and Wonder Why	1	(6)
PART I: THE CELEBRATION OF COMMITMENT
The High Stakes of Commitment	7	(8)
The Real Reasons People Keep Commitments	15	(13)
The Positive Purpose Behind Personal Commitments	28	(9)
The Only Way to Make Love Last	37	(16)
PART II: THE COMMITTED RELATIONSHIPS
Creating Our Own Identity	53	(15)
Making Friendships That Last	68	(23)
Why Should a Marriage Be Forever?	91	(14)
When a Marriage Cannot Be Forever	105	(17)
The Promises We Make to Our Children	122	(29)
PART III: THE CRISES OF COMMITMENTS
When Two Commitments Collide	151	(27)
When Someone Breaks Our Trust	178	(22)
When What We Need Most Is Hope	200	(24)
Taking Charge of Our Future	224