The Importance of Relationships
by Olga Hermans
The other day I heard somebody say, “The more I get to know some people, the better I like my dog.” It shook me for a minute, but then I thought…in some cases that might be true. Last weekend I was in a large crowd of people and really met the most interesting people from all walks of life. I love that!
But I must say, some people are sometimes just a little obnoxious if you know what I mean. God must have a sense of humor because He puts us all together in one place and wants us to realize that we need each other. He wants us to know the power of relationships; He works through people like you and me to get us where we need to be. So, let’s have a look at the importance of relationships the way God meant it to be.
In the first chapters of Genesis, you can read that God created and then you always can read: “and God saw that it was good”. But then when He created man, He said something different. He looks at man and says, “It is not good…” Genesis 2:18
He didn’t say that man wasn’t good, but that the situation he was in wasn’t good. That is a profound statement that God made, because He says here that He created man to need more than just a relationship with God. He created us to need each other. It wasn’t that God was lacking or not able to be all we needed, but that He designed us to need each other.
God did not create Eve immediately after He said: “…I will make him a helper” Genesis 2:18 But God didn’t forget what He was doing, He knew what Adam needed, but Adam didn’t. So, God brought the animals in front of Adam to make him aware of his need. As Adam began to name them, he began to realize that all the animals had others like them but he had no one to like himself.
God was able to alert to his need as well as to establish the fact in Adam’s mind that nothing on this planet could meet that need except another person. If Eve would have shown up before Adam knew he needed her, he might have marked off the garden as his and not let Eve in.
“So, God caused a deep sleep to fall upon man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh at that place.” Notice that God did not go back to the dust of the earth to create Eve. He took what He needed out of Adam’s side without replacing what He took, and then He finished Eve.
When Adam awoke, a part of him was missing. Part of his spiritual, emotional, and physiological makeup was gone and he sensed it. He was now even more incomplete and alone! When God finally brought Eve to him, Adam called her wo-man!
Sometimes, people think that needing others, or having to depend upon others, is a sign of weakness. Our society teaches us that independence equals strength, when just the opposite is true. It takes great strength to get along with others. You need to have a lot of inward flexibility and plain common sense to stay in relationships; trust God to help you and negotiate the differences. All it takes is a well developed attitude of selfishness to run out and do your own thing. There is a lot of that going on these days.
God created us with a need for others. The need for meaningful relationships was not a result of man’s fall into sin. Our desire for relationships was the plan and will of God. We were designed to need each other before the fall! In fact, we fulfill God’s created order when we recognize that need.
I am not saying that we should smother our relationships; people have been abused or abandoned by others and often carry the pain of old relationships into new ones. They often try to get people in new relationships to make-up for all the evil that has been done to them previously. The true meaning for relationships is not a devouring, damaging, suffocating thing. It is a mutual supportive expression.
People who have been hurt need to learn how to forgive those who have offended them in the past so that they not poison their future relationships with the pain of past ones.
God created us as wonderful beings, as the crown of His creation. He created us with a will and with an intellect. He created us with the power to choose because He didn’t want to force us to serve Him. God wanted us to have the free choice whether or not to walk with Him. But how is God going to let us know how He feels about us? Do you remember how God reached out to Adam and how He communicated His love for Adam? How was God to tell Adam His plans, dreams and purposes for him?
How was God able to tell Adam how much He loved him? How could Adam understand love? That’s why God gave man the ability to love and to need others. Though relationships are NOT God’s primary way of revealing Himself; we need to take it serious. When our relationships are perverted, they will hinder us in our life in everything that we do and desire to accomplish.
How well are your relationships doing? Tell us in the comment section what stood out to you in this post.
You can get my eBook: The Power of Relationships by clicking here
Another interesting article… you dig deep when you share your love of God and the scriptures. Great job!
Beautiful article, as always, Olga! I enjoy reading them and appreciate your sharing of you love of God and the scriptures! Have a blessed day!
Great article! I love how you write and share. Thank you
Hello Olga thank you for this article,i was diagnosed with stress because of a very bad relationship between me and my boss. I started working for him last year in April, working six days a week with no day off,i expected him to allow my annual leave but he never till i asked him about it he told me the company was closing down so he sees no need for that i was deeply heart broken cos i had sacrificed most of my time for this company and even missed my brother’s funeral and now i thought so much that may be i was wrong for being here when they needed me most, Since then our relationship is never so good at all.
Great article! We are all here to help each other directly or indirectly and part of that purpose is to experience situations for growth! Thanks for sharing your amazing insights!
Thanks for a well thought out article. It is simply outstanding! I always try as much as I can to value my relationships. I assume you might need someone to determine your future sometime and it might be someone you have treated pretty well or someone you had treated badly. Thanks once again for this wonderful insight. God bless you indeed.
ISRAEL.
Another great post Olga. I really do love the way you write and the way it could inspire and encourage others. Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful article, Olga…..Makes me rethink the relationships with those in my life. Sometimes, though…there are just those who we need to love…but not hang out with. I have a couple of those in my life. But, I will love them, regardless!
Hi Olga…I was reading ‘1 Corinthians 13’ last night in regards to relationships (one of my favorite Bible Readings)! Your article provides further wisdom and insight for me! …Thank you, Hughie 🙂
What stood out the most? The love of my dog! Well, actually I have two and there are times when I enjoy their company more than people. Of course, it is a different kind of love. Whether we want to admit it or not, we DO need other people. God made us that way. Lovely blog post Olga!
I have learned a lot about this being married to my exact opposite. And it’s true that it takes great strength to CHOOSE to get along with those that are different from you. Not just tolerate, but get along with! They have strengths that you do have and weaknesses you can help them fill. They do the exact same thing for you. Great article!
A very important topic, Olga. Relationship is important in a family, work, business, church and even in social media environment. Like you wrote, people who have been hurt need to learn to forgive. If not, that hurt may become toxic in our life and thus ruin our ability to cultivate genuine, caring relationships with others.
This is such a timely message for me Olga. I find myself dating again at the age of 48. And I often wonder to myself if God wants me in a relationship or if He wants me alone for some reason. I won’t ask that question again after reading your article today.
Thank you!
Thank you for another beautiful well written article!
You definitely drive the point home with your writing. I really enjoyed reading this post. It provided a perspective that combined both scripture and a deeper level of analysis that related to present day. To be honest, this is my 1st time on your site, so I definitely look forward to more of your posts in the future.
thanks for your blog. some friends are awful or terrible while some are really caring and come in handy in times if need. Effa C
Good friends are really God sent
Thank you for another great article! I always love reading them!
You brought that out so well about adam eve needing one another,it’s like the church world we need that fellow ship with one another.we need to draw closer to one another becuse times are going to get worse and we need those realtionships because if one falls the other are there to pick up.like in a marriage you haft to have a realtionship with one another or it will fall apart that’s why he said don’t forsake assemble yourself together as some has.
Always love your comments Charles!!
What really stuck out to me here Olga was when you talked about society rewarding people who are “independent” when it’s actually harder to need people than to go it alone. This is so true! I find it much easier to do things alone, I get along with myself rather well! BUT, you are right in that we are created to need each other. Just think about how much more we can accomplish when we learn to work productively together.
I am also one of those people that doesn’t mind to be on my own, but I also know how much different I function when I am around other people..
what a beautiful thought about relationships and how we can use it to drawn close to God or anyone else.
our relationship is so important.. I’m doing an amazing study about drawing closer to God and being real with him and really being what he made me to be.. Me his daughter..Great post Olga!
Yes I do feel His love in God’s correction, though it’s hard sometimes. One day I was not happy with God, I felt that God was not with me, at my place of work business was not good at all, we had a lot of debts to pay, that was the time when someone wanted me to live my home and find somewhere else, Then I got bad news about my brother and how he was living his life, I had bills to pay and I was not yet paid at my place of work for 2months, I felt my life was in a box. I remember it was the time we were practicing hearing God’s voice. I went home closed my door and then started questioning God, telling Him scriptures He has not fulfilled in my life, asking HIM where He was, then I asked him what does it benefit me to follow Him. At the same time, asking Him to speak to me. I thuoght God will tell me scriptures like Jeremiah 29:11 or I will hear Him wispier I love you but, I was in so humbled when I opened my Bible and there was Job 35 in front of me. I read it and I had no doubt that it was God speaking and correcting me. I felt His love because He was putting me back on the right path. I felt peace in my heart where by that kind of peace comes from God alone. Right now all that made me feel my life in a box, God has worked on them. Our debts at work are cleared, I was paid, I paid my bills and I put my brother in God’s hands and am still at home. All praises to God. Thank you and God Bless you.