Thursday, December 1, 2016

I Have To Confess, I Havent' Always Had the Greenest of Thumbs...

“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.