Many years back, Chase Bank put out the slogan, "the right relationship is everything." They were right on the money. Everything we do and everything we are is centered on having the right relationships because God wired us to be relational beings.
Take a look at real estate companies today. They are no longer in the business of selling land and property, but in the business of selling communities, neighbourhoods, associations, relationships and a your dream life. Clothing and fashion get you into a circle. That's relationships. Social media is booming because it provides an avenue to more relationships (or at least a pseudo-form of them, but that's another topic).
Within every homo sapien is an innate desire to flourish in relationships. Why? Because we were created in the image of a God who thrives in, loves and desires relationship. Genesis 1:27 says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." We are photocopies- though not a perfect replica and distorted in many ways but clearly still a copy of - a relational God.
To God, relationship is of high importance and value. The reason why He created us was so that He could enjoy a relationship with us and we a relationship with Him. It's also that very reason that God redeems us to Himself. The only times God isn't happy is when loneliness and separation happen. When He looked at Adam and saw that He was without a companion, He said that "it's not good for man to be alone." (Genesis 2:18) It's not good that we should be alone or alienated from relationships.
Sadly, so many people live lives treating relationships as cheap. There are so many disposable relationships and conditional partnerships, and unknowingly it breaks us inside because we were moulded in a way that we were meant to be joint together with others in meaningful relationships.
All of God's best ideas involve relationships - church, family, business, nations. They're not perfect, but they work better than when we are on our own. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, "And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken." We were created by God for the very purpose of connecting to Him and connecting to one another. The very core of our being is love and the outcome of love is godly, long-term, healthy and positive relationships.
Are relationships of high value to you today? How can you grow deeper in your relationship with God and relationship with others?
