Today, I write from a place of raw emotion. How is it sometimes the people closest to you wound you the most? Ahh relationships. If God created us for them, why are they so hard? At times, friendships prove challenging. Sometimes, family trumps the charts in difficulty.
God is relational, and when He created us in His image, He made us to live in relationship with Him, others, and nature. But, because sin entered the world with Adam (Adam and Eve’s Story), every person has a sin nature, which is where relationship issues originate.
Reasons for Difficulty
Because we aren’t perfect beings, there are many things that complicate positive connections with others:
- We all have unique personalities. Some we mesh with and some we don’t.
- Coping mechanisms we’ve picked up throughout our lives protect against hurts, but these protections sometimes affect our ability to form powerful connections.
- If we aren’t allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in our daily walk, or if we don’t have Jesus in our lives yet, it’s harder to set aside our fleshly desires and selfishness. Our relationship with Jesus is the most important one we will ever have. When His Spirit lives in us and we depend on Him to guide us, we do a better job loving others. Not perfectly by any means, but hopefully better than if we lived without Him.
Satan’s Contribution
Satan wants nothing more than to drive a wedge between us and God and others. If he can isolate us and make us feel alone, he might succeed in diminishing the light we cast into the world. If he can keep us unaware of a loving God who pursues each of us in love and knocks on the door of our hearts, he will. Don’t let him have his way!
A Good Reason
Our verse sheds some light on another reason relationships can be hard, even among believers; As iron sharpens iron. When sharpening a knife, a harder abrasive substance is used to grind away material, making it sharper and stronger. A friend with powerful faith can help strengthen ours, which is a good thing.
However, notice the words like abrasive and grind away. It can be painful when we see our insufficiencies and find areas where we need to grow, which can cause tension in relationships.
In Spite of All the Reasons
Even if it is difficult, God calls us to be in relationship. Every single one of us. Even introverts need people. I know an introvert who likes to spend time alone, but also blooms like a watered flower when she spends time with other women.
A Moment to Reflect
Are there relationships in your life that cause strife? What should be our response? Are we operating out of our sin nature? What is God showing us through trying moments? Let’s lean on His wisdom and strength to find our answers.
Be blessed and enjoy Lord, I Need You by Matt Maher.