Relationships Are Essential

Singer Annie Lennox sang, “I travel the world and the seven seas. Everybody’s looking for something.” I’ve been to a lot of places, and I tend to agree with Annie. If I had to pick just one word to describe what people are looking for I'd say it's relationships. One of my greatest joys in life is getting to know people. Building relationships is like digging for hidden treasure. If you invest time and effort in getting to know someone, you always discover something special. Sometimes it’s a fascinating learning experience that’s revealed through someone else’s life journey. Sometimes we discover something about ourselves, or our community by spending time with others. If we intentionally build deeper connections with others, there is nearly always a benefit.

There have been moments in my life when this hasn’t always been true. Building deeper connections takes effort, and by choosing to not make the effort I’m sure I missed out on the treasure of that relationship. Too often, I overlook people because I didn't take the time to understand them, or they appeared to be very different from myself. Occasionally, the opposite is true in that they remind me of the things I don’t like about myself, and why would I want to focus on that? Well, because the rewards of connecting deeply with others are invaluable.

I don’t want to neglect the importance of developing a set of values like personal integrity, compassion, achievement, etc. outside of relationships. This is foundational for stepping into any relationship. But in fairness, many of these guiding life principles were formed through both wonderful and challenging relationships. Our values provide the necessary foundation on which to build healthy connections that lead to continued learning and self discovery. If I am affirmed in my own true identity, each relationship can be seen as an opportunity to learn more about myself, the people around me, and my culture.

The two most significant things we can do in this life are to, "love God and love others," and we can learn so much from each of these relationships. Over the years God has connected me with people from all walks of life to reveal truth, heal brokenness, model love, and reveal my own short comings. I am forever grateful to God, and to those who've opened themselves up to a deeper relationship. This has led me to do the same with others, and in doing so I continue a lifetime of discovery. I still struggle with time commitments, and avoiding uncomfortable situations. But I’ve learned to be much more intentional and to press in knowing the wonderfully diverse treasure that lies within each unique relationship I encounter.