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\\xa0If you\\u2019re ready to learn how to identify and deal with all the difficult people in your life, grab a copy of your FREE Toxic People Survival Guide.
https://krisreece.com/toxic-people-survival-guide

So you\\u2019ve finally put your foot down. Maybe you\\u2019ve kicked the narcissist to the curb or cut ties with toxic family members. After much prayer and soul searching, you\\u2019re ready to move on.

But before you can cue the confetti, you get the message, \\u201cI\\u2019ve changed.\\u201d\\xa0

Could this be the turnaround you\\u2019ve been praying for? Or just another tool in their manipulation toolbox?

That confusion is why I want to talk to you today about the three powerful clues that will show you that this person has actually changed, as well as the ONE thing that guarantees they haven\\u2019t.

\\xa0I think of relationships with toxic people like a garden that was once beautiful and vibrant with so much potential, but that is now completely wilted and shriveled.

\\xa0Some people would walk past this garden and think nothing of it. Either they don\\u2019t recognize the garden is dying, or worse, they just don\\u2019t care.\\xa0

\\xa0But run-down gardens don\\u2019t happen by accident. They\\u2019re a result of neglect and maybe even abuse.\\xa0

\\xa0The hurt you experience in relationships doesn\\u2019t happen by accident, either.\\xa0

\\xa0Clue #1: Recognition

If your relationship is like a garden where all the plants are either dying or dead, both parties need to recognize that (a) there\\u2019s a problem, and (b) that each person has contributed to the problem.\\xa0

\\xa0Typically, people who have sinned against you won\\u2019t recognize their role in creating the problem. And if you try to point out the ways they have contributed, you will most likely be accused of nagging and holding on to the past, when all you are seeking is acknowledgment of the actions that brought this beautiful garden to this awful place.

\\xa0If you have been in a relationship with a toxic gardener, you need to hear them own their contributions. Don\\u2019t settle for mere recognition that the relationship is withering on the vine.\\xa0

\\xa0When recognition is present, it's like turning on a light in a dark room. It might be a mess but at least you can see where you\\u2019re going and what needs to be done.

\\xa0Clue #2: Repentance

Clue #2 is what so many of us long for, beg for, and argue over.\\xa0

\\xa0My client, Crystal made the mistake of demanding it from her mother who would belittle her in front of others but call it \\u2018mothering.\\u2019 Crystal was 56. She didn\\u2019t need \\u2018mothering.\\u2019 She needed her mother to say the words she so longed to hear. And they weren\\u2019t \\u201cI love you.\\u201d They were the words \\u201cI\\u2019m sorry.\\u201d

\\xa0But Crystal\\u2019s mother didn\\u2019t even recognize that was she was doing was wrong. Instead, she justified her behavior and even blamed Crystal for \\u2018making\\u2019 her behave this way because she not obeying her mother.

\\xa0But clue #2 is more than just hearing those two magic words. It\\u2019s about repentance.\\xa0

\\xa0What's the difference?\\xa0

\\xa0Do you remember when you were a kid and you\\u2019d get into a fight with another student at school and the principal would take you both into the office, make you shake hands, say you\\u2019re sorry and make up?

\\xa0Yeah, that\\u2019s not repentance.

\\xa0Words of apology alone hold no more power than someone claiming they believe in God but don\\u2019t live a life that follows Him.\\xa0

\\xa0Repentance is a deep regret over the pain you\\u2019ve caused and the extreme effort to turn in the other direction.

\\xa0It\\u2019s not, \\u201csorry,\\u201d \\u201cI\\u2019m sorry,\\u201d \\u201cI\\u2019m sorry, if only you\\u2026,\\u201d or \\u201cI\\u2019m sorry YOU,\\u201d or any other deflecting, devaluing statement that's meant to sound like and apology.\\xa0

\\xa0It begins with I'm sorry \\u201cI\\u201d and continues to move forward to the next phase. In o