Let’s be honest: most of us love getting chocolate hearts and roses. But it’s important to focus on the meaning behind the Hallmark Holiday. “Nothing is more important than the relationships in your life. Nothing,” says Guideposts Executive Editor Rick Hamlin. “When you look back on your life, you’re going to think about the people who you loved and who loved you back: You wife, your mom, your kids, you neighbor, your teachers—people. When we pray for these people we pray that we are making a difference in their lives.”
But whether you are talking about marriage or another romantic relationship, a family member, a colleague, your college roommate or a close friend, building solid relationships can be difficult. “It’s not always easy, and in fact, it can be downright scary,“ says Hamlin. “I have a photo of me and Carol [Hamlin’s wife] from when we first started dating more than 30 years ago. Everyone looks at it and says, ‘aaaw, you guys were so cute.’ But when I look at it, I think: ‘wow, it was so scary to take that risk to come together and build a life.”
But the Biblical case for creating relationships is strong, says Hamlin. “Jesus was all about relationships. What he did was he called people to come together and ultimately, he left them with each other. He gave them connections.”
From the first Book of the Bible, all the way through the New Testament, there are multiple Scriptures that confirm the importance of investing in your relationships. Jesus said: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friend. (John 15:13).
“Connections—they’re a God thing,” says Hamlin. “God is love. We are made in God’s image so when we express love we are expressing that God portion of us. You have to make room for your relationships, but you also need to make room for prayer. Tell God what you need, about your love and ask for his guidance. We all need to work at it.”
On February 11 our community will come together to lift your concerns about your loved ones to the Lord. Please send your prayer requests by clicking here. You can pray multiple times for different important relationships in your life.
