My house was built in 1955; it's 56 years old. There was a leak above the front overhang that rotted the wood. Roofers replaced the boards and stopped the leak. The siding is old and cracking. I paint over it to look new. The bush out in front is beautiful but thorns threaten the window screens. I trim back the branches. Spring time brings weeds in the lovely curved pathway. I pull them to make it look cared for. Dead branches sit idly among the thriving, live, green ones on the tree. I use a branch saw to remove them. Plants and flowers die in the fall. I work up the ground, plant new plants, and water them throughout the spring and summer. Houses are a lot of work. If I left these things in disrepair, states of decay and overgrowth, and never replaced anything, my house would soon fall apart, cost me more money and headaches, be an eye sore to the neighbors, lose value, and not reflect the pride and care I take in maintaining and improving it. I have to constantly take care of it.
Often, little repairs can be annoying. I want to put them off. I want to forget they exist. I want someone else to do it. I want everything to last forever. I don't want to inspect things, praying there isn't a leak, crack, dent, nick, tear, or other problem. Can't my house just take care of itself...and be "perfect" forever? Can't I just let it go and hope the problem goes away? Why do I have to be so vigilant and act quickly when problems arise? When will the house stop falling apart?
Relationships are just like my house.
I fix one problem and another one crops up. I get over one hurt and another comes my way. God delivers me through a storm and a few days or weeks later, another one is on the horizon. Everything seems to be working out really well - better than expected - and then a difficult issues crops up. I think everyone loves me and is getting along, only to find out I've been (unbeknownst to me) extremely challenging for one person. Or I sense tension, jealousy, bitterness. Or I see or hear of a family member or friend who makes one horrible choice after another.
I can't sit idly by.
I want to let it go.
I want it to go away on its own.
I want it to fix itself.
I wish things were perfect.
But, just like my house, I have learned that I need to take care of things. I need to be persistent and fix problems as they appear, not leave it for weeks, months, or years...hoping it will take care of itself. God created us to be RELATIONAL BEINGS. Yes, we can choose to be hermits; to pull away from the world and the people around us. But then, we aren't nourished. We aren't in community. We shrivel and die or our personalities become as hard as stone - unmoving, unchanging, cold... I've learned a huge, vital lesson in the last few years. Are you ready for it?
Life is RELATIONSHIP.
God created us to be in community - to relate to one another daily.
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. - Genesis 2:18
Relationships are important.
For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. - Romans 14:7
Relationships are a constant in life.
Relationships take work. Maintenance. Diligence. Vigilance. Perseverance. Truth. Openness. Welcoming. Respect. Patience. Love. Compassion. Understanding. Justice. Forgiveness. Mercy. Grace.
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. - 1 John 14:11
Without these things, relationships will decay, fall apart, disintegrate...
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. - Philippians 2:5
But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. - Psalm 19:12
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