It's All About Relationships

"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40 NIV

The greatest relationship we will ever have is with our Father. No other relationship should ever come before the intimacy we have committed to develop between us and our Creator. We have chosen to become His follower, and our complete being needs to be focused on total surrender to a love relationship with the Father. But we do not live on an island. Every day we are developing human relationships. As we consider the relationships we build in our earthly lives, we have to begin here -- "Love your neighbor as yourself." To be a commandment second only to loving God with your entire being states that how we handle relationships is a vital aspect of our social existence designed by our Creator. We cannot dismiss them and neither can we address them half-heartedly. Both reactions negate the importance God has placed on relationships.

This is a challenge for me. As an introvert, I am drained by people. Don't get me wrong; I love being with people. It's just that I must integrate "me" time into my day to recharge. That can tend to lean me towards selfishness. I will plan out my day to balance people time and recharge time. Unfortunately, the enemy will use this to his advantage and tempt me with an abundance of alone time to the detriment of time with people.When all is said and done, I am making life about my comfort rather than meeting other's needs.

Don't get me wrong; boundaries are not a bad thing. Balance is good as well. But when it is used as an excuse, it can become a hindrance to following the Father's commands.

So relationship-building requires selfless love for others. With the same intensity that I am protecting my personal time, I must love on others for I am to love my neighbor as myself. Obviously, I am loving myself all too well. I must work on loving others better.

But what does it mean to love others and who are our neighbors? I had a wonderful step-dad. Raymond loved everyone. There wasn't a person he would meet that he did not thoroughly cherish. And since he was a man who lived in the "now" in everything he did, he would take time for anyone, anytime, anywhere. I never knew someone who could make genuine friends of their co-workers and the mailman. He simply oozed time for one-on-one conversation. I say conversation, but his "conversations" consisted of asking a question and listening to the other person's answer with complete rapt attention. And then his entire body would reflect the emotion most empathetic with the speaker. If they were recounting something joyful, Ray was joyful. If they were sad, Ray was sad with them. If angry, he provided calm. If frightened, he gave safety. His entire focus was on other people and their needs -- any person his life came in contact with.

A week after Ray passed away, there was a knock on my mom's door. There stood a twenty-something girl holding a potted flower. "I just heard that Mr. Wells passed away," she said. "I had to find out where he lived and come to tell you how sorry I am and how much I will miss him." The young woman was the check-out girl where he bought his groceries.

That must be how Jesus walked on the earth -- completely focused on others. Attentive. Sympathetic. Helpful. Listening. Responding. Empathetic. Compassionate. With a selfless love.

Further Thoughts:

1. If I am to love others as myself, in what ways do I love myself?
2. List the ways Jesus showed love to others.
3. How did Jesus find balance between his own needs and meeting the needs of others?
4. What is hindering me from loving others like Jesus did?
5. What is one change I need to make today to better love those around me?

Lord, forgive me for my selfish ways. Show me today how to love better. Open my eyes to other's needs. Open my ears to their heart's cry. Teach me to love Your kids as You love Your kids.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Thankful in the rain

I'm breaking out of my usual blogging pattern today because, well, it's Thursday, and it's very wet and windy outside. And as I sit here and listen to "Hurricane Helga" pound on my windows and my patio furniture, I could easily slip into a funk and get nothing done or roll over and take a nap. Rainy days -- especially several in a row -- can really get me down.

But I'm not going to do that. And here's why. My circumstances (or the weather) are not going to dictate my attitude or state of mind. (Yes, I'm stubborn that way.) So I'm going to flip the coin over and see what is on the other side.

Thankfulness:

I'm thankful for the rain because we in Northern California need the rain, those in the mountains need the snow for skiing and for the Spring melt. Southern California needs us to get rain so we can supply them through the summer months. And my roses love it.

I'm thankful for my home. God has blessed us beyond anything we deserve with a home that keeps us warm and dry. And for my metal patio cover that allows me to hear the rain as a soothing ping, ping ping.

I'm thankful for my family because in bad weather and in good, they love me through it all.

I'm thankful for friends to share a cup of coffee with, or an email, or a text message. No matter what storms are brewing, we're connected.

I'm thankful for my vehicle so I don't have to walk out in the rainy cold to do what I need to do today. And I don't need to pump gasoline.

I'm thankful for a full pantry on multiple levels, but especially so I don't have to lug groceries through the rain today.

I'm thankful for the rain knocking the blossoms off the fruitless pear trees and thus shortening my horrible allergies.

I'm thankful for my nephew, Austin. (Because today is his 18th birthday;)

I'm thankful for rainbows, and the promise that comes with them.


Even when the rain pours and the wind howls, I can still be thankful because I know that up above the dismal gray clouds, the sun is shining. And someday very soon, I'll see the sun again.... And then I'll need to remember to be thankful for the sun.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Further Thoughts:

1. What are you thankful for today?
2. What do you need to do to remind yourself to be thankful in difficult situations?
3. Have you been a friend to someone today? Remember, it may be raining where they live, and they need to hear your words of encouragement.

Dear Father, the weather or my life may not always be sunshiny and cloudless, but I know you see me in the rain and will not let it overtake me. Thank You for your blessings and love so abundant in my life.

Matthew 13:53-58 "Not Heard"

Read Matthew 13:53-58.

"And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, 'Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.'" NIV

Speaking truth can be a lonely place to be. I've personally received some of the worst persecution as a believer from my own family member. I'm not exactly sure why that is - maybe it's familiarity. Our family and those who have lived around us have a difficult time of seeing us in any other light than the way we were before Christ. Therefore, to accept revelations that are new and foreign to them concerning the Christian life, sin, hell and heaven, can be clouded by personal history with the speaker.

In Jesus' case, He was known to His town as a simple carpenter's son and now the same people He was raised among must view Him as a miracle worker and the Messiah. I can see how that could be a stretch for them. And sadly, he had to leave his town and not minister there. His words were falling on deaf ears.

Those around us don't have to make as quite a leap as Jesus' town did with Him. After all, we are not claiming to be the Messiah. But when you are declaring truths that are in opposition to the way people live, they can be very offended when the message is coming from someone they consider of their own kind.

Can we ever have influence over those people we were raised with? Absolutely. Is it tougher and take a longer period of time? Yes. Do we need to be gently persistent? Probably. But in many cases, we have to wash our hands of the situation and accept that we will not be the one to make a difference. This is so hard to do because we love those people so much and want to share the good news we have found with them. We can still be loving and gentle as Christ, but directness will have no affect. The point is to never give up. We can continue praying for our loved ones -- praying that God would bring someone into their life they will listen to and that their heart will be softened to the message the Holy Spirit is drawing them to. Meanwhile, we maintain the relationship and continue to love them.

Further Thoughts:

1. Jesus was not the only one who had little favor with those he was raised. Who else in the Bible dealt with that? (HINT: Genesis 6, 37)
2. Do you have someone in your family/close friends that is in opposition to the gospel? Spend some concentrated time today in prayer for them and for how you are to deal with them. (i.e. approach them again with the truth, simply show love to them, shake the dust from your feet)