Relationships are an important part of life. I have met so many people in my life and one of the main aspects people love about life is the relationships they were able to cultivate and have. We as humans are relational beings, we love to be in community with others and honestly, we love to be loved and accepted. Relationships were designed by God and happen for a reason.

In a article I was reading about relationships and God, the first line of the article read “The Bible is a book of relationships.” I've never thought of it that way. In looking through the Bible, that statement makes sense. The Bible tells of the good, bad, and the ugly in relationships. As Christians, we can use the Bible as a model for our relationships. It's pretty interesting how we can relate our relationships to Biblical ones. Joseph and Mary had relationship problems just like your modern-day couples, aside from the donkey and getting pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Paul never even got married and lived life as a single man, which isn’t easy but he learned to honor his relationship with God and pursue holiness instead. Cain and Abel amongst many other biblical siblings bickered and fought to the death, but their relationship is very similar to modern day siblings- hopefully minus the killing part. Relationships are so important because we shouldn't live life alone. We need companions, friends and family. We should all enjoy this aspect of life that Christ designed for us. In relationships, God wants us to love him first. It is the first commandment, Mark 12:30 “You should love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” This theme is reiterated all throughout the Bible. Putting the Lord first in our lives is one of the most important decisions we will ever make and the best relationship we will ever cultivate. I can promise you, there is no one who will ever love you, care for you, honor you, support you, cherish you like God. A relationship with Him is priceless and I can tell you from my experience, it is truly amazing. After your relationship with God, it's important to have relationships with others.

The commandment “love thy neighbor” is repeated probably a million times in the Bible. God wants us to love others before ourselves so that we can grow in community with others. Life is so precious and it's even better when you spend it with people you love and cherish. Healthy relationships make life enjoyable, honestly more than anything else. When you look back upon your life, don't you want to think of the wonderful events and memories you shared with others?

Unhealthy and broken relationships happen but the key is to not settle on that. Talk to God about the relationships that you seek to mend and see if he wants to mend it or wants you to move on. Here are some ways to put aside to have healthy relationships,

Get rid of:

Immorality                              Impurity                         Evil desire

Greed                                      Slander                           Malice

Lying                                      Anger                             Wrath…. Just to name a few

I understand that it isn't easy to let those things go but it is crucial to try your best to let go of negativity so you can have healthy relationships. God loves you and wants you to live an abundant life in community with others. Relationships as I stated before are so important and you don't want to miss out on cultivating wonderful memories with others due to past hurt and negative ways.