Relationships: Agent of Hope

Relationships is a mountain that with time becomes a journey, that for some people may get harder to climb and conquer as life goes on. Usually when we hear about relationships we think male/female, boyfriend/girlfriend idea's but of course that's really only scratching surface on the topic and issues of relationships building that stem from our childhood, adolescent & adult stages of life. All sorts of relationships have contributed in the formation of our strengths, weaknesses, joys, experiences, downfalls or insecurities that as we get older we begin to dig up a few things that we thought were buried underneath the surface of new relationships.

As my wife and I have been journeying through are marriage for the past 1 1/2, together 4 yrs in total, we have had to confront the "GHOST" of our past that creeps up at times when something in are relationship needs to be addressed. I have learned that you can't just tell someone to get over it and expect issues to go away as a means of moving on because everybody deals with situations differently and so having the right relationships around you are essential in moving past those relationships that hold you back.

The work that God does in our lives is an amazing work because it's through these challenges that God is molding us to become relational to a culture, world and society that has been let-down, disappointed and left to play the "every man for themselves" game of life. As we think about creating community for people, it's through the relationship tools that we have learned that enables to become transparent and open to those who don't have those spiritual relationships in their lives. What would happen if "those who really".....Key word.... "THOSE WHO REALLY" love God would become more relational to their neighbors, community, culture and strangers.

It's hard to swallow the "I love everybody" pill because many times loving people requires a choice for us to be open and willing in building relationships, which often we pick and chose who want to do that with. Yet, as an Agent of Hope, people are seeking our relationships because as Christ representatives, we are to offer the Greatest love relationship ever given to mankind which is a relationship with Christ, lived out by the local church (you & I).