October 13, 2021

When leaving church a couple weeks back, I said to one of my blessings, ”See ya!” Without hesitancy, she immediately responded back, ”Need ya!” and ran over to give me her final hug for the day. I bent down to tell her how amazing her response was and that she made my day! She grinned, not fully realizing at the age of five, how powerful that statement was.

Actually, it has made such an impact on me that I I have thought about this daily since then and probably will for a long time, if not the rest of my life. You see, there are many times we are hurt by relationships that we don’t want to be hurt any further so we can easily push people away, tend to not want to get close to anyone new, and if we do start getting close to someone, we can put up a wall because we have trust issues. Have you ever felt this way? If you are like me, you’ve probably had every person in your life at one time or another let you down, and if they haven’t, they will eventually, whether it’s something little or big. We all let each other down….because we are selfish humans who sin.

I’ve stayed silent on my blog this past few months because I was working on myself in many areas more than I ever have in my life. I was seeking outside counsel as well as searching God’s Word on what things in my life I needed to change to make me more like my Creator. I have realized more and more I have had trust issues. I had no idea that it was so prevalent in my life until I started going through decades of hurt, little by little, unpacking the details of why I am the way I am. Boy, I wish I would’ve done this 30 years ago because it sure would’ve saved me a lot of heartache but I am willing to continue to learn going forward.

I’ve learned that all relationships take risks. We WILL hurt each other. It’s just a matter of time. This is why it is so important to never ever put anyone on a pedestal because eventually they WILL fall off, leaving you possibly devastated. There is only One Who should be on the pedestal in our lives, One Who will never let us down, One Who loves unconditionally, One Who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, One who is forever faithful, and that is Jesus Christ.

So if we are inevitably going to just go around hurting one another, why do we even try to have relationships? It is because we do need each other, and it is worth the risk of being hurt.

“Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. For it they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

“Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace
and the things by which one may edify another”
Romans 14:19

”All of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another;
love as brothers, be tenderheart, be courteous.”
I Peter 3:8

Now, I will caution we must be discerning at whom we are spending time with because we will become like who we surround ourselves with. Have you noticed you will pick up people’s phrases and even habits the more you spend with them? Sometimes that may be good and other times, not so much. It is my prayer for my blessings to be in godly company because those are the people who will point them to Christ and strengthen them in their walk so they can become more and more like their Creator. And as I spend time in God’s Word and in prayer, I will become more like Him.

When you walk with the wise, you will become wise. When you walk with the fool, your destiny is to be a fool. When you walk with the godly, you will become godly, and thankfully they can be there to tell us if we are going the wrong direction. The thing is we need to be willing to listen and heed their advice. When we are in the middle of a situation, we will need people we can trust who are outside looking in. Different perspectives are so very helpful as we navigate this journey of life, with all its many hills and valleys.

As we have many different kinds of relationships, we must remember that we need God to be our #1. We have to be careful not to find our identity in anyone but Christ alone. When we have these relationships, we can bless and be blessed. God will use us all differently as we walk alongside each other. That is just how the body of Christ works.

So who needs you in their life? Who do you need in your life? Think about this and ask God if you need to reconnect with a relationship or two or three. Who can you have in your life to mentor and/or disciple you? Whose life can YOU make a difference in? God is so good to bring about blessing upon blessing when we follow His lead in the relationships He puts in our lives.

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Blessings,
Jennifer