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The Amish Voice 10
Throughout our lifetimes, we meet a lot
of people. We connect with many people,
and develop relationships with quite a
few of them. Seasons come and go, and
people come and go. Sometimes we are
ready to let go of someone before they
are ready to let go of us,
or maybe they are ready to
let go before we are.
God uses people in our
lives in many ways. Some
of them need us for
encouragement,
for
someone to believe in
them. Some are in our
lives to irk us so we are
driven to the feet of Jesus.
Some are there to speak
grace into our lives. Some
people are meant to be
connected to us for life
and others for only a season or a
moment. We need to choose wisely those
who we allow deeply into our hearts. We
also must be willing to fight to protect
those relationships.
Gossip can destroy relationships.
Relationships are broken when someone
hears and believes false information
about another. This could have been
avoided if only they had cared enough to
check with their friends and discover the
truth. Do we care enough about people to
verify information before we give them a
cold shoulder?
Relationships can also be destroyed
when we are not willing to invest in
them. Good relationships don't just
happen; they take work, and honest
communication, even when it is hard. Do
we care enough to invest in others? Do
we care enough about people to get to
know them before we make a judgment
about them? Do we care enough to take
the effort to say hi and get past the
awkward stage of finding something to
talk about? Listening to some people
takes work. Is it worth it to you? Some of
the people I have least expected to get
along with or to have anything in
common with, ended up being my closest
friends.
I remember meeting one gal who
seemed a little stuck up, and I was not
sure how to take her. But something in
her eyes caused me to stop and consider.
I realized she was a cautious person, kind
of shy, and self-protective. She wanted to
be careful about the relationships she got
into. She is now one of my very dearest
friends. I can count on her when the
'whole world is against me'. Another girl
I know is super quiet and shy. It is work
for her to open her heart and talk, and it
is work for me to be quiet and listen, but
she is a good friend. I am learning to give
her lots of time to share, and she is
opening up more and more; she has such
a sweet heart. But I had to give these
women a chance, and they had to give
me a chance. We had to decide if it was
worth the effort it took to build a
relationship.
When something seems to be creating
distance between us and a friend, do we
care enough to reach out and talk about
it? If their life seems to be winding in a
slightly different direction,
are we willing to reach out
to them or are we content
just to let them slowly
float away?
If we do not understand
the decisions someone is
making, or feel they have
made unwise or even
wrong decisions, are we
ready to cut them off
without giving them a
chance? What do we want
our friends to do when
they disagree with us or
with a direction our lives are taking?
These are good questions to ask
ourselves. We can hurt others without
intending to, without having a clue of
what we are doing. Are you willing to
fight to protect your relationships? Are
you willing to have heart to heart talks
that may take you out of your comfort
zone, for the sake of a relationship? Are
you willing to give second chances? Are
you willing to refuse to believe rumors
until you have given your friends a
chance to explain themselves? Are you
willing to work to keep a relationship
alive and healthy? Will you choose to
walk toward them and reach out in love?
Will you ask God if this relationship was
for a season and it is time to let go, or if
perhaps He wants you to work on this
relationship? What is the price you are
willing to pay for the sake of the
people in your life?
Relationships in the Body of Christ
—By Lynn Miller
By Lydia
The End