Healthy Relationships

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Christianity is not a religion but a relationship.” Technically speaking, Christianity is a religion (if religion is defined as a belief in God and the service and worship of Him). In other words, religion lays out a certain way of life – “house rules” so to speak. For Christians, the God we worship is a God of love who would teach us and empower us to live a life of love. That’s where the idea of relationship comes in. In a healthy relationship, you not only want to be with the person, but you also want to please the person who also has made clear that he or she wants to be with you and wants to please you as well.

Unfortunately, not every relationship is healthy. I once saw a cartoon of two people sitting in a restaurant across the table from each other. The one said to the other, “Enough of me talking about myself. Now I’m going to get on my phone.” Talk about self-centered (and a good clue that the person is probably not going to become a close friend who will be with you through all the ups and downs of life.)

What about our relationship with our Lord? When we find ourselves talking to Him, is it often all about us and what we need from Him and then, when done talking about ourselves we go on to something else, or do we also listen to Him and talk to Him about His wondrous love and care for us? What a wondrous God who through His Word talks about Himself (who He truly is and what He has, is, and will do for us), but also talks about us and how He wants to be with us always as well as why we are through faith in Christ Jesus His beloved children.

And here’s the thing: When we are in that healthy relationship with our Lord, it will influence our relationships with others, including giving us wisdom as far as who we get close to and, in some cases, who we avoid.