The Importance of Relationships
I've known what it's like to feel completely alone. To have weekend after
weekend not being able to find one person to hang out with. I've know what it's like to feel abandoned, not wanted, and not loved by those I called my friends and sat with everyday at lunch.
It took me way
too long in life to realize the importance of having true, authentic
relationships. I many times settled in my friendships just so I would
feel secure, which only ended up in
relationships full of disappointment. There were so many important biblical
truths about friendships, that I wish I would've realized earlier on in life, that took me years to understand.
1. God created each and every one of us to
be relational human beings.
"When
there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there
is safety."
(Pro. 11:14)
We first have to realize that we were created to be relational. If God hadn't made humans to desire relationship and intimacy
and connection, we wouldn't desire relationship and intimacy and connection
with Him. This goes out to
everyone, no matter how extroverted or introverted you are. God made you to
have this innate desire for relationship.
The thing is we all don't seem to realize that every single person in this world is
wanting the same thing that we are wanting, love. Every individual desires to be loved and
wanted and cared for. Many in the world try to fulfill this desire with things
like drugs or sex or money or popularity or beauty.... (I've been prone to doing
it as well) instead of going to God who placed this desire
within us so that He could ultimately fulfill it.
2. Jesus call us His friends.
"I have loved you as the Father
has loved me...I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in
his slaves. Now you are my friends." (John 15:9-15)
You've probably heard the cheesy statement that "Jesus is Our Friend", but I think so
many people don't understand the profundity of those four words. I mean Jesus,
who is God in human form, calls us His friends? The Creator of humankind who
watched as His creation turned their backs on Him, who watched as His Son was
scorned and mocked and ignored by the world, calls us His friends? I mean this is a pretty insane truth if you really think about it, God calling us
into relationship with Him in this intimate way.
Also we tend
to not realize how important our friendship is with Jesus. We
tend to think of God as far off. Someone who doesn't care about our lives or
isn't involved in them as a close friend would be. Instead God's one of the
closest friends we have. He knows how many hairs we have on our heads, our
deepest secrets and desires... I mean even my best friend doesn't know that
stuff. Knowing this connection
we have with God allows for us in seasons of loneliness or seasons of searching
for those authentic friendships to know we still have the closest friend with us
always.
3. As Christians we love others because God first
loved us.
"When you obey
my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father's commandments
and remain in His love. This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way
I have loved you." (John 15: 10-12)
I don't love people because I want too. I'm not friends with people or smile at people because I just innately desire too. No. In all reality I'm a selfish, fleshly human being who could care less too. I love others because God loves me. Because God is love, my heart overflows with it and it then overflows from me to others. God is the reason why I care to love others, why I care to be friends with others.
Because God saw me all alone and decided to come be my
companion, I sit beside the girl that has no one to talk too. Because God looks
at my heart and past all my flaws, I don't see someones mistakes or appearance
as their identity, but instead look to their heart. God
chose each and every one of us to be a depiction of His love
to others. It's so important to Him that He even commands us to do so, saying loving Him and then loving others is the most important command of all.
4. God call us to have relationships filled with empathy for every human, not just Christians.
"Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." (Romans 12:15)
Having a strong, like-minded, community of
believers is the most important thing to be immersed in when growing in your
Christian walk. The thing is this verse doesn't say "Only
rejoice with Christians who rejoice, and weep with only Christians who weep". Instead it says "with those", meaning everyone. While God doesn't want us to surround
ourselves with people who will drag us down in our faith, He calls
us to have hearts that are broken for every person around us, even those who aren't Christians.
This can be a hard thing to do when it's someone who is from a different culture, or someone who doesn't look like you, or doesn't act like you, or doesn't dress like
you. But we have to remember
that Jesus didn't sit down for his meals with the spiritual leaders and holiest of the
holy. No, Jesus sat down with the people unlike Him. Those of different languages, and
backgrounds, and colors and social statuses. The ones who were seen as the lowest of the low. By realizing this I started to look at people differently, through eyes of love instead with eyes that saw only our differences.
These four basic truths took me way too long in life to realize when it came to my friendships. I urge you to search for
authentic relationships with those around you, love others the way Christ loves
you, learn to see people the way God sees them, and take hold of every
opportunity to just be a friend to someone.
- Rachel
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