“Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will
have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were
not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’” –
Hosea 2:23 (NKJV)
(This was a promise to the children of Israel even after their
infidelity to, and betrayal of, Yahweh.)
I confess that I sometimes ponder the nature of my relationships with
family, or friends, or colleagues. Relationships
are not static. Meaning that they change. Over the course of a relationship, our
connections will at times grow, grow apart, get stronger, experience weakness,
become deeper, and sometimes end. But
that is a defining characteristic of life… change. But what makes the difference between lasting relationship or temporary connection?
When I was younger, I would try to figure out what I got out
of a relationship. You know, whether or not I was receiving
a return for the investment of my time or affection or attention or help. I often had a very “what’s in it for me”
attitude. I suppose that’s fairly normal
though… isn’t it? But in terms of
relating to people, and relationships with them; I’m just not satisfied with normal
anymore. I want extraordinary… profound…
exceptional… unexpected… I want the most full and fulfilling connections I can
cultivate.
