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\\xa0To learn how to identify and deal with all the difficult people in your life, be sure to grab a copy of your FREE Toxic People Survival Guide. https://krisreece.com/toxic-people-survival-guide

Who grows more in life--the person who never has anything go wrong and has the loveliest of relationships, or the person who had to overcome adversity and challenges?

\\xa0If you said the overcomer, you\\u2019re right.

\\xa0Understanding why God may have you in a narcissistic relationship can be challenging. But does so has the potential to bring more growth and strength than you could imagine.\\xa0

\\xa0We\\u2019ll explore the four reasons why God may have you in a narcissistic relationship. By the end of our time together, you will no longer think God has forgotten you.

\\xa0Just as a caveat, remember, every situation is unique. This video aims to provide insight, not to justify unhealthy relationships.

\\xa0Reason #1: To grow you

There are a lot of life skills many adults lack through no fault of their own. Many of our parents did the best they could, but too many of us are never taught the critical skills that help us advance in life. I\\u2019m not talking about balancing a checkbook. (Does anybody do that anymore?) Or fixing a leaky pipe. I\\u2019m talking more soft skills, such as how to deal with rejection, what to say when someone insults you, how to discern good from evil, how to emotionally regulate ourselves, and the list goes on.

Just because you didn\\u2019t learn those skills then, doesn\\u2019t mean you can't learn them now.

\\xa0You likely developed survival skills out of fear-based self-protection. That is NOT how God wants you to live your life. It\\u2019s likely that God is saying, \\u201cStop pretending you\\u2019re emotionally and spiritually grown up and let me grow you.\\u201d\\xa0

\\xa0More important is learning how to lean on and trust in the Lord with all your heart.\\xa0

\\xa0I love to hang on to the precious words found in Phil 1:6: \\u201cAnd I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.\\u201d

\\xa0He will never stop growing you, and narcissistic relationships can be a fertile ground for growth

\\xa0Reason #2: To discipline you

You may be thinking, Wait, I'm the victim here. Why does God need to discipline ME?

\\xa0I have spoken to very few people who did not see signs that this person they were entering into a relationship with was troubled.\\xa0

\\xa0You may not have known exactly what you were dealing with, but you didn\\u2019t need a label to know that you shouldn\\u2019t have moved forward, whether it was a romantic relationship, a friend, or a pastor.\\xa0

\\xa0Often times we find ourselves in a toxic relationship because of a dysfunctional need within ourselves that we don\\u2019t want to admit\\u2014unless of course we\\u2019re talking about a parental relationship. While you certainly did not choose your parents, you may still be the type to keep a toxic door open because you want or need something. For example\\u2014staying in a toxic relationship with a parent even after you\\u2019re an adult for financial support.

\\xa0While God's correction is never comfortable, it\\u2019s helpful to remember Hebrews 12:7: \\u201cIt is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?\\u201d

\\xa0Reason #3: To humble you\\xa0

The enemy\\u2019s plan in narcissistic relationships is to get you focused on the hurts and offenses so much that you unknowingly develop narcissistic traits of your own. God will use them to humble you.\\xa0

\\xa0Deuteronomy 8:2 reminds us of the Israelites journey when it says: \\u201cAnd you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to k