MAINTAINING GOD-GIVEN RELATIONSHIPS Y ou never thought it would happen . Someone you were once very close to now seems distant and far removed from your life. As you think back to the time when your relationship with that person was strong, what you feel now is a mixture of hurt, confusion, and even a sense of betrayal. It happens with a close friend whom you often shared the deepest secrets of your heart, things that you would not dare tell anyone else. It happens with an employer who could count on his partner in business to give support and encouragement when things at the company seemed bleak and dismal. It happens to a husband or wife who used to have one heart and one soul. They knew their spouse was the one person they could count on to understand what they were going through. That special gift from God was someone who would not let them down. It happens to a parent who pours his or her life into a child. To Mommy and Daddy, that little child is as dear as life itself, and they willingly abandon many personal dreams in order to meet the needs of that so much loved child, but all of that has changed. The aging parent who gave so much is neglected. In all of these cases and so many more, it seems that loyalty, closeness, and unity of spirit has somehow faded away. What has happened? Why have things so radically changed? In order to understand why things are the way they are now , you have to understand why things were the way they were before. Why was your soul knit together with that certain person? Such unity of spirit doesn’t happen automatically or easily. It comes through doing special things together and through the spending of many hours conversing with one another. It is that kind of devotion to a relationship that is required if you are to have a true “soul mate” or kindred spirit. A truly loving parent will sacrifice much to meet the needs of a loved child. A dating couple will neglect many things if necessary in order to share life with that special somebody. In such cases, it is the relationship that receives priority attention. If someone is blessed enough to have close, loving relationships with someone, how can such a wonderful thing be lost? Why are things so different than they were before? One major reason for a loss of something that was once so strong is found in the fact of change itself. Change happens. It is a natural occurrence in life, and there is nothing we can do to stop it. The issue is not “if we change.” The issue is, “Are we changing together?” The young man goes to college while his wife stays home with their small children . Day after day, his mind is being filled with new thoughts, new dreams, and new perspectives on life. But his wife is not travelling down the same mental road of change. No. She is at home changing diapers, and over time, the two drift apart. Likewise, two friends might be separated over a period of many years. During those years, they live in different environments and are exposed to different ideas. Breathing in those new ideas, they begin to change into different people. The Bible makes it very clear that we are what we think: “For as he thinks within himself, so he is” (Proverbs 23: 7 NASB). If those two close friends change independently of one another for long enough, they will have little, if anything, in common . All that will remain is a vague memory of what once was many years ago. Changing together is essential if two people are to retain intimacy with one another. Those two people must spend time talking, discussing, and even sometimes debating, all of which mold the two lives together so that intimacy remains solid and firm. Failure to spend the time necessary to change together is to guarantee that what you thought would never happen will happen. Friends will no longer know one another. Family members will be estranged from one another, and even children and parents will no longer enjoy the closeness of family that God intends to be. What is it worth to maintain a relationship that was once so special? Ask yourself the question, “Is this a relationship that God wants to remain close? Is this something that the Scriptures encourage or even command?” God gives us good gifts. In fact, the Bible says that “every good gift and perfect gift is from above…” (James 1: 17). What good relationships has God given you in the past that are now in a state of deterioration? Never count lightly what God counts seriously. Instead do your part by injecting new energy into the floundering relationship, and ask God to restore what has been lost. Doing so will cost, but no matter how costly obeying God may seem, the blessing of God will always far outweigh the burden. Lord, spare us from our own selfishness and help us in our relationships. Amen. From Pastor’s Don’s new book “The Journey”. Would you like a copy for yourself or to share with someone? . your-journey.net/.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 11:02:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015