After 19 years of marriage, I can tell you a few things about what it takes to live in wedded bliss:
- Taking time to wash the dishes.
- Calling home when I will be late.
- Making sure that at least 1 out of every 3 movies we watch is a chick flick.
Of course there are many, many, more hard-won secrets to our happily ever after, and every one of them was a painful lesson to learn.
My wife and I are both strong personalities with our own ideas, so of course we have conflict. Everyone does. Conflict in relationships is inevitable, but it can also be really good if it is navigated well. Almost everyone can agree on that, so why is conflict resolution so hard?
One reason is that we tend to get focused on the symptoms of the issue rather than on the actual problem that caused it. When we do, emotions tend to run high. Which causes us to speak from hurt or fear and to say things that aren’t helpful, and the problem continues. The next thing we know, we’re stuck, not because we want to be stuck, but because we don’t know how to get out. If we only knew how to resolve the issue, I believe most people would.
Have no fear, dear reader, I have found the block and tackle that can pull us up out of the ditch of conflict resolution, and the name is RSLV.
RSLV is an app that takes you through a simple eight-step process that helps you focus on what the actual issues are and each person’s contribution to them. It allows you to schedule a time and a place to have the discussion, and it works through your phone’s native calendar app so you don’t forget. It even allows for breaks if you need to settle down or think for a bit before you continue. It also has the unique feature of connecting you to a licensed counselor in your area directly through your phone, live or via video if the need arises. I can practically feel the wheels gaining traction as I write!
RSLV itself won’t solve all your problems, but it will give you a solid road map so that you can finally resolve those issues yourself. {eoa}
Dwayne and Janna Deskins have a passion for people to recognize healthy relationships as the core foundation to a healthy life and developed a number of tools to help people experience better relationships. RSLV app is the latest tool and brings with it those 40-plus years of Christian experience in life and relationships. Find out more at rslvapp.com.
Learn more about having a healthy marriage in the podcast included with this article!
Janet Perez Eckles 
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett