Get your ducks in a row, AKA ….Setting your priorities in order. If you really want your life to go smoother, I’d say realign your priorities ASAP. It’s quite amazing how much better it all goes when we do it. Here’s where we are so far: 1) Spiritual Life. 2) Marriage.       3) Parenting. #4 on my list is “Relationships”.

In real estate it’s location, location, location. But in the kingdom of God it’s relationship, relationship, relationship! At the end of our lives we’re going to realize that it’s not money, fortune or fame that’s caused our lives to be full and significant. No, it’ll be crystal clear then that what’s really made our lives ‘rich’ are the relationships that we’ve been involved in. I say we need to make the adjustment now and start placing the value on our relationships that the Father has so we won’t miss the significance of each one of them over the long haul.

God is sovereign when it comes to relationships. By that I mean that He’s instrumental in bringing us together for His purposes. And, when He does bring two people together He never does it for just what one person can offer the other; When He brings people together it’s always a win-win! Everybody benefits!

While the greatest blessings in life come from our relationships, they can also be extremely challenging. It’s very common to get your feelings hurt, get wounded or betrayed through relationships but they’re still worth the effort. Here’s a little formula that we’ve been working on for a few years. We’re far from perfect in our execution and not everyone is willing to ‘buy in’ …… but if, and when, they do the rewards are almost certain to come.

1) God is sovereign in relationships. *You only know the people you know because of God

2) Every relationship, given enough time, will encounter problems. (It’s very common!)

3) Anytime we make the problem more important than the relationship….the relationship is in trouble.

4) Since God put us together, we must make a resolve to ‘stay’ together. (What God has joined together, let not man put asunder)

5) We must work to restore the relationship. (sometimes a ‘mediator’ is needed to help heal the relationship) 

6) The Payoff: What we’re finding out is, if we’ll put the value on relationship that God has placed on it and sit down and work it out, ….God not only restores the relationship, but He restores it and makes it ‘stronger’ than it was before the offense.

When we put the value on our relationships that the Father has put on them…..life takes on a whole new meaning!