Have you ever been in a relationship that seems to be more work than you'd want it to be? It might be your relationship with your spouse, a friend, a mentee, or an officemate. Whatever that troublesome relationship may be, it's not yet time to give up on it.
Relationships are one of the most valuable treasures, if not the most valuable, we have on earth. Money is great, stocks are valuable, and assets could be a wonderful addition to your net worth. But at the end of your life, what you will count is not the size of your bank accounts but the number of meaningful relationships you have built and flourished in.
Why do relationships matter so much? Because God is a God of relationships. When God created Adam and Eve, He created them inside a garden where His wonderful presence would dwell so that He could be with us for all eternity. When that didn't work out, God made a way for man to be atoned for His sins through a sacrificial system so that they could be with God once more. And when that proved to be too much, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to be the sacrificial lamb once and for all.
All that God did because He simply wants a growing and flourishing relationship with us. God lives and breathes relationships. Just His perfect relationship within Himself as the Trinity shows how much God values relationships and how He wants unity to be present at all times.
And as God values unity, we, too are called to value unity with others in keeping with relationships, whether that's your relationship with your spouse, children, church community, leaders or even neighbours.
In Ephesians 4:1-3, Paul urges us, "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
If there's anything we are to be eager about it's unity. Why? Because that is what God is most eager about. And when His Spirit comes upon us, His eagerness becomes ours. His passion becomes ours. His desires become ours. So as God desires unity, we too will walk in unity.
Moreover, as we experience the overwhelming love of Christ, it compels us to share that love with others. And as Colossians 3:14 says, "And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."
When we walk in love, we will be bound together with others in harmony even if the relationship gets difficult. When we are fully united with God through Christ, it will cause us to be united with others as well.
