Mothers-in-law get a bad rap.

I get it. It’s definitely a difficult relationship to manage, and I personally know people who have a legitimately toxic or unhealthy relationship with their mother-in-law where frustrations and irritations are absolutely valid.

But I praise God that is not my experience.

Don’t get me wrong, our relationship is far from perfect. She can drive me crazy. I can drive her crazier. If you think about it, the relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is anything but simple. I mean, we’re two women who love the same man and have to figure out how to co-exist peacefully. It’s honestly a recipe for disaster, am I right?

I will be the first one to tell you that the road to friendship with my mama-in-law has not been an easy one. There have been many tears, countless fights, an abundance of misunderstandings, and in full transparency, we’ve had our fair share of silent treatments, too.

We’ve had to learn how to set boundaries without putting up walls. We’ve had to learn how to be honest with each other while also holding compassion for the other person’s point of view. We’ve had to learn how to put aside differences, forgive offenses, and offer grace. Loads and loads of grace.

Honestly, if you told me a handful of years ago that I would be flying across the country to spend an entire weekend alone with my mother-in-law, I would have told you that you were crazy. But here we are, back home from an incredible weekend together, and I wouldn’t have wanted to experience it with anyone else.

Getting to this place has been messy and it has been hard… it’s also been more than worth it.

If you’re currently disheartened about a relationship in your life, I hope these words can be encouraging to you. There is absolutely nothing that our God cannot redeem, restore, and turn for our good.

Put in the work and send up the prayers, and watch God do the impossible.

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