Is anything in life more confusing than relationships? It doesn’t matter whether the relationship is marriage, parenting, in-laws, siblings, church family, neighbors, co-workers or extended community, they always have bumps and there is always some measure of confusion.
Some people handle relationships by just doing what comes naturally to them. These people of course don’t have very many relationships. The relationships that they do have are often broken, one-sided and not very pretty.
Some people have numerous relationships but, only with those that they want to relate to. They are very selective in their relationships. Some people have lots of relationships but they are not very deep. Others have just a few relationships that tend to be deeper. We could probably all agree that whatever the relationship landscape looks like relationships can be complex and confusing.
The book titles: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus or Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti or the parenting quote: Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-o to a tree, ring true because they describe the confusion and complexity of relationships.
Much of Jesus teaching was either about relationships – Love one another … (John 13:34) or used relationships to illustrate a point – the story of the Prodigal Son. Jesus was an expert at relationships. Since He was never selfish his motives were pure, his attitudes correct, his responses appropriate and his actions loving.
Jesus wants to create in us the selfless, pure, correct motives, attitudes, responses and actions towards others. We are to ‘Love our neighbors as we love ourselves.’ This will happen only as Jesus creates in us His nature, priorities, perspectives and purposes. Jesus being formed in us will revolutionize how relationships happen in our lives. If how relationships look in our life is not different than those around us – Jesus nature may not be being formed in us.
If Jesus is being formed in me – my relationships will be impacted by integrity and love.
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