Relationships - Forever Friends by Laura Lusa, Missions Council Chair When asked to write about relationships, my first thought was, oh wow, what a broad topic! How am I going to narrow it down and discuss something that is so important to the health and well-being of each of us as individuals. We all have relationships: with God, Jesus, family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, that hardworking delivery person and, unfortunately for many of us, that never ending connection with our phones! Joking aside, I decided I needed to consult some outside resources to gain a better understanding. Having recently moved, while unpacking I came across the 1938 dictionary my Grandmother Gertrude gave me as a twelfth birthday present; just so you’re not misinformed about my age – she had the book for some time before gifting it to me. The definition for relationship was short and to the point: the state of being related by kindred, affinity or other alliance. Has the definition changed over time? Next, I consulted my college dictionary (which is a hardbound book; I’m not sharing the copyright date). Key points from that source are that relationships entail a connection between two things as well as the state of affairs existing between those having relations or dealings. Lastly, I jumped to present day and consulted that favorite source: Google. Google tells us that a relationship is the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected or the state of being connected. While the words used in these three sources are different, I think the meaning has generally stayed the same. My takeaway from all of this in terms of human relationships is that it is an active connection between two people. Because friendship is so important to our mental health and applies to so many types of relationships, I’d like to focus on that type of relationship here. It’s vital to note that spouses and siblings can be friends just as easily as that life-long, forever best friend.
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The importance and responsibility of friendship is emphasized in the first line of Proverbs 17:17: “A friend loves at all times.” To survive and move beyond that casual acquaintance, friendships need to be active – both parties participate and are engaged in the relationship. They each want to sustain and grow the friendship. Hopefully we can all agree that the folks we see only on Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok, etc., while often entertaining, are not friendships in the true sense of the word - unless there is some active participation beyond scrolling and looking at cute pictures and video clips. It takes those conversations over shared meals or doing things together to sustain and grow the relationship. Even when you live far apart or are unable to travel, letters, emails, phone calls or better yet, Zoom and Facetime calls keep us engaged and connected. My friend Linda and I met in Portland, Oregon centuries ago; she now lives in Alaska. It would be hard for us to live farther apart! Yet, during the pandemic when travel plans were cancelled, we stayed connected through weekly Zoom calls. I’m amazed at how much we found to talk about and help each other during those conversations. Donna, JoAnne and I have been peas in a pod since grade school and even though we live a few hours apart, the occasional get together supplemented with Zoom calls keeps us engaged and supportive of one another. Peter, my younger brother, lives all the way in Winter Haven. With our busy schedules, it’s sometimes a challenge to connect in person but rarely does a week go by that we don’t talk by phone. These friendships enrich my life; I’m thankful for them and take seriously my role in making it a priority to stay connected. Proverbs 18:24 tells us: “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Quality over quantity: nurture and cherish those friendships most important to you.
