THE IMPORTANCE OF RELATIONSHIP

Man was created a social being as such, he was created with the need for others, hence the saying a tree cannot make a forest, “ Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun.  There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.  Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour- Ecc 4:7-9 KJV.  Life is all about relationship, your ability to relate to people cordially is the tin line between success and failure. That is why it must be one of your priorities in life. We are not meant to exist in isolation, there is no way we can fulfill our God given destiny without others.” The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”- Gen 2:18 NIV

The word relationship means the state of being connected to others like in family, marriage, business, school, work, market etc. It is the fact of being related or connected. It speaks of interdependence. Here in the world we are involve in series of relationships. To succeed in life those relationships must be effective, productive and very cordial.

           RELATIONSHIPS IN ORDER OF PRIORITY

God has given us guide to follow if we want to build healthy relationship with people. The Bible is very clear about this issue, make it your yardstick and you will ever be grateful to God.

(1) Spiritual relationship – This is the foundation of all relationships. It determines how other relationships will be . It’s a relationship between you and God, “Master which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment -Matt 22: 36 -38 KJV. Jesus stated unequivocally that without Him you can do nothing –  Jn 15:5b. Your relationship with God is not negotiable, knowing Jesus imperically (as your Lord and personal savior) is imperative.

(2) Husband and Wife – The rate of divorce is increasing in alarming rate even among Christians today because biblical principles are grossly ignored –“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her – Eph 5: 22-25 NIV. There can’t be a peaceful marriage without the application of biblical principles either consciously or unconsciously.

(3) Father/Mother and Children – Eph 6: 1 – 4 says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” NIV God is very interested in families, He wants you to have a peaceful and godly family. This is because peaceful family translates to peaceful Church which invariably translates to peaceful and productive community.

(4) Master and Servant –“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eye service, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.  Eph 6 : 5 – 9 KJV.  Service is the way to the top. Servants need to know this in order to serve with godly fear, humility, sincerity, open mindedness and obedient heart. Serving your master as unto the Lord is a divine injunction. Masters must know that they are accountable to a GREATER MASTER – the almighty God. Don’t maltreat your servants because you don’t know tomorrow. Be humane and lenient in dealing with them, correct them in love.

(5) Close Friends – Prov 18: 24, “ A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Says.” David and Jonathan is a worthy example – 1Sam 20:1-17. Friendship is part of life but anybody who dreams of success must allow his vision to choose friends for him. Faithfulness, truthfulness, sincerity, transparency, honesty, commitment, trust and true love are necessary ingredients in friendship. They are the furnace on which close friends are baked. Never enter into close relationship with people who lack these qualities.

(6) Business/Work – This has to do with marketer/customer or employer/employee relationship “Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.”- Prov 22:29NIV. Good customer relationship is a necessity when business success is being considered and it take skill to develop one. Relating to your customers or workers kindly, wisely and lovely will enhance efficiency and productivity.

(7) Casual Friends – “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. “ Prov 13: 20KJV. Casual friends will always be part of your life. Relate to them wisely and carefully. Don’t make friend with a fool, careless, carefree or wayward people.

 5 REASONS WHY RELATIONSHIP SHOULD BE YOUR TOP PRIORITY:

• Relationship  fulfill your most Important need. Your most important need is not money, its not achievement or recognition but Love. Love can only be harnessed on a relationship.
• Relationship is where you drive greatest joy from because it entails giving eg; you time, talent or treasure, genuine relationship is all about giving
• Only through relationship can you give a lasting Impact on others. Every lasting impact in our lives is from a meaningful relationship. People are easily impacted by who they honour and respect.
• Through relationship you have the people to support you in time of trouble. They willingly share your burden with you.
• Eventually relationship is the only thing that matter. When people are dying they do not think about their achievements and awards, They don’t care whether they are rich or famous. All those things become meaningless when people are face to face with death. All they want is having people they love around them.

Every healthy relationship is built on Care, good Communication skill, Respect, Transparency, Trust, Forgiveness, Patience etc. Value and consciously build cordial relationships, those who don’t are grounded and frustrated in life. God hides in man and will always pass through man to bless men. Give adequate attention to relationships. Make it top priority in your life and you will ever be happy and fulfilled in life.