In order to be able to make and keep commitments... to enduring, intimate relationships... you need to be a certain kind of person. You need to be a powerful person. Powerful people take responsibility for their lives and choices. Powerful people choose who they want to be with, what they are going to pursue in life, and how they are going to go after it.

The more others encounter us honoring the boundaries we have set for our lives, the more they will know that they can trust us with their lives.

In being vulnerable, we reach for our greatest need while risking our greatest pain.

Typically, people allow differences and mistakes to lower their respect and value for other people. But you know the pillar of honor is strong in a relationship when you can look at the other person and say, “You are really different from me. It makes me sad when I see you making that choice. But I love you. I value you, I believe in you, and I am here for you in this relationship.

Jesus defied all of these rules. He taught in the outer courts of the Temple so women could join the audience.

Powerful people can love without being loved back.

Marriage isn't just a choice. It's choosing the same person a million times.