"For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." Matthew 18:20
A couple of weeks ago we had a good time visiting good friends we have known since our single days. Yes, my son, we were young once. These friends came to our wedding in June 1988. The third friend was our soloist. It was a very hot day, but that is another story. Because we knew these people so well we could go the rest of the year not talking to them and when we did meet again it was as though we never parted.
These good friends helped us celebrate the adoption of our two children. They were there through the good times and not so good times. When Maria died unexpectedly they grieved for our loss. As we travel the forlorn road of our grief these dear friends went to their knees to pray for us for the pain of our loss. When we gathered last night we not only enjoyed each other's company, but we also felt the very presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Relationships take time to build. First, you have to lay the foundation with biblical teaching, seeds of kindness and a openness to connect with people around you. Openness means allowing oneself to be vulnerable and risking rejection. Some of those seeds of kindness may die out, but others will thrive with roots that grow deep and strong.
Relationships take time to grow. I was amazed one time when I discovered that the tree is as deep as it is tall! It took a lot of water, careful pruning and the grace of God for it to reach the height of it's proper height. Not all trees make it to full growth. There are some that are destroyed in horrible storms. There are others that die and lay rotten on the ground. Some of these trees that were originally planted when the kids were little will bring out similar emotions of grief, especially if they have pictures of their tiny tots standing next to these young trees!
Relationships are risky because with those relationships come the risk of permanent separation when death occurs. Whereas you once had a living, breathing relationship with the one you knew now you are left to grapple with the aftermath of emotional and physical pain associated with that loss. Our first inclination following any sort of loss is to hunker down and withdraw from all relationships with the exception of the few we trust. Rather than risk future relationship losses we gravitate toward solitary activities just to numb our pain.
This is where our relationship with our Lord helps us. Because we know that Jesus Christ was resurrected and was seen by many eye witnesses before he went to heaven we know that we have a vertical line of communication to heaven with Him. God will help us get through whatever pain we may be going through in this life. He will help us with our relationship problems if we allow ourselves to go to the source of all relationships. Before we can work on the horizontal relationships with each other we must work on the most important vertical one.
The tree that you so carefully watered and prune that was tossed down by the storm became a new tree with a new seedling. In place of the dead tree became a living, breathing seedling which will once more bring new memories.
Relationships work the same way. Each person you meet in this life brings a blessing. Yes, there is a risk that the person you meet will die, but there is a greater likelihood that your life will be enriched because of that relationship. Our God is he author of all relationships. We can take it to the bank that He will show us how to develop and maintain those relationships. He will also help us to work through the pain of loss when one of those relationships ends.
Just as my wife and I were blessed the other evening with good friends we have known for years you too can experience similar blessings with careful nurturing of friends you meet.
Relationships take time to build. First, you have to lay the foundation with biblical teaching, seeds of kindness and a openness to connect with people around you. Openness means allowing oneself to be vulnerable and risking rejection. Some of those seeds of kindness may die out, but others will thrive with roots that grow deep and strong.
Relationships take time to grow. I was amazed one time when I discovered that the tree is as deep as it is tall! It took a lot of water, careful pruning and the grace of God for it to reach the height of it's proper height. Not all trees make it to full growth. There are some that are destroyed in horrible storms. There are others that die and lay rotten on the ground. Some of these trees that were originally planted when the kids were little will bring out similar emotions of grief, especially if they have pictures of their tiny tots standing next to these young trees!
Relationships are risky because with those relationships come the risk of permanent separation when death occurs. Whereas you once had a living, breathing relationship with the one you knew now you are left to grapple with the aftermath of emotional and physical pain associated with that loss. Our first inclination following any sort of loss is to hunker down and withdraw from all relationships with the exception of the few we trust. Rather than risk future relationship losses we gravitate toward solitary activities just to numb our pain.
This is where our relationship with our Lord helps us. Because we know that Jesus Christ was resurrected and was seen by many eye witnesses before he went to heaven we know that we have a vertical line of communication to heaven with Him. God will help us get through whatever pain we may be going through in this life. He will help us with our relationship problems if we allow ourselves to go to the source of all relationships. Before we can work on the horizontal relationships with each other we must work on the most important vertical one.
The tree that you so carefully watered and prune that was tossed down by the storm became a new tree with a new seedling. In place of the dead tree became a living, breathing seedling which will once more bring new memories.
Relationships work the same way. Each person you meet in this life brings a blessing. Yes, there is a risk that the person you meet will die, but there is a greater likelihood that your life will be enriched because of that relationship. Our God is he author of all relationships. We can take it to the bank that He will show us how to develop and maintain those relationships. He will also help us to work through the pain of loss when one of those relationships ends.
Just as my wife and I were blessed the other evening with good friends we have known for years you too can experience similar blessings with careful nurturing of friends you meet.
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