What I’ve seen happen so much between couples and in other relationships is avoiding the elephant in the room. By elephant in the room I mean that one issue that is so big that nobody wants to address it because it seems overwhelming. What so frequently ends up happening is that the elephant makes the rest of the room so tight because it is so big and therefore it causes all kinds of other issues. You find yourself maneuvering around the elephant, being uncomfortable and angry because of the elephant but never actually acknowledging that there is an elephant in the room.

I wish I could tell you that the elephant was just going to go away. I wish I could tell you that you could wait him out or successfully pretend that he is not there. The reality, however, is that the issue must be addressed. For me I recently had an elephant in the room in my relationship with God. It was an issue that I had so gotten used to that I was failing to acknowledge that it was an issue. This morning it finally hit me that I needed to take the bull by the horns and address the elephant in the room. I felt a sense of freedom and relief that could only be experienced that way.

What about you? It may be in your marriage, it may be in a friendship or it may be in your relationship with God. Is there an elephant in the room? Are you really willing to live the rest of your life pretending it’s not there? I challenge you to attack the issue. Have the tough conversation. Say the uncomfortable thing. You will experience a sense of freedom that you never thought possible. Elephants are big, nasty and smelly animals. When they’re in your life long enough you begin to think that life is nasty and smelly. News flash: LIFE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LIVED THAT WAY. Deal with the elephant in the room and find the freedom on the other side. I realize that there is risk involved in addressing whatever that issue is but there is a bigger risk in not addressing it.