The Cornerstone of Living by Bob Kuhn � � � � � �

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� 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�

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The Cornerstone of Living by Bob Kuhn

As I think about the theme of relationships and their inherent importance in our lives, I am reminded of what Jesus told us about our need to love one another� Jesus said, “A new command I give you: love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another�” (John 13:34-35) Jesus is very emphatic about our need for a loving relationship with others� We learn from scripture that God never intended for us to be alone� In fact, after creating Adam, God created Eve so that man would not be alone� 2000+ years later, we understand the need for relationships in our lives just as strongly�

Muriel and I recently celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary� Looking back over the years and recalling our experiences together raising a family has convinced us of how incredibly important a strong relationship is for a husband and wife� Guiding children through all the stages from newborn through adolescence, can be extremely taxing even for the strongest of marriages� I cannot imagine how difficult it must be without a strong bond between a husband and wife or doing this without a partner� Aside from raising a family, we all seek to live a happy life� There were times when I had to travel alone for work� I was able to visit places or explore parts of the country I had not visited before� On each of these occasions I found that the excitement and joy of those experiences were just not the same as experiencing them together with Muriel�

Relationships are the cornerstone in living a joy-filled life� Just as God created Eve to be a partner for Adam, our spouse, family, friends and neighbors make our lives so much fuller and enjoyable� We were truly made to be in the company of others� How do we establish and maintain these relationships? We have all heard that strong relationships must be based on loyalty, trust and love. Very true. But to build and enjoy truly meaningful relationships, I believe we must first have a firm relationship with God. This relationship gives us the footing we need to be people worthy of trust, loyalty and love in our relationships with others� Putting God first in all we do and trusting completely in Him must be what we strive for, it must be our priority�

We often think the Golden Rule is what it’s all about, “In everything, do unto others what you would have them do unto you�” As Christians, this is what we try to do every day� Take a closer look at what God tells us about our relationship with others in John 13:34–35� Jesus commands us “to love one another as I have loved you�” This is a much higher standard and expectation than the Golden Rule. Jesus’ love for others was with sacrifice and always putting the needs of others before his own� If we are seeking the kind of relationship with others as God intended, it is imperative to dig deeper� How do we love others like Jesus loves us? Jesus always took note of those in need wherever he was� He noticed the sick, the lame, those in pain and never turned away� He accepted and even appreciated the opportunity to be of help� We need to be more aware of the needs of others around us� Maybe it’s the elderly struggling to continue to live on their own, maybe the hungry we see on the street corners every day or maybe the parent trying desperately to make ends meet� What ever the needs are all around us, Jesus is not just asking us to be willing to step out of our comfort zone He is expecting us to do so� He is right there with us as we serve�

God gives us a myriad of opportunities to build relationships, witness to those desperate to hear about God and to serve those in need� “We don’t meet people by accident� They are meant to cross our path for a reason�” (author unknown)

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