*Hello, as you may have noticed if you check out my blog, recently, I have been absent for quite some time. If you follow me on facebook , you may have read about how I’ve been burnt out. I’ve honestly struggled to find words to write for months and haven’t even sat down at my computer to write since my last post. Last week, though, I wrote again and it felt so good! Now on with my post.
Do you take the time to invest in relationships? I’m an introvert who loves people so I can tend to have a love/hate relationship with people. Sometimes, I get together with friends for intentional dates for weeks and then suddenly, I’ll take two weeks off. Why? Because suddenly, I’m overwhelmed and done with people.
All that being said, though, I believe is very important to invest in people and relationships. I don’t necessarily believe that any one person needs a lot of really good friends, but that every person needs at least two REALLY good friends who get you.
5 Reasons I think you should invest in relationships
#1: You reap what you sow.
-If you’ve invested in others by babysitting their kids, bringing them a meal when everyone’s sick, listening to them when they have problems, or praying for them when they are down, you will have people willing to do similar things when you need them.
#2: It teaches us to be more other-centered.
-As a homeschool mom, it often takes significant effort to get out and build relationships at times. I don’t always have automatic friends because of my kid’s classes. It would be easy to just stay-at-home and hang out on social media and say that I’m just making sure I’m available to my kids 24-7. However, I think it’s so valuable for me (and my kids) to think outside of ourselves and learn to help others and build relationships.
#3: What do you want people to say about you at the end of your life?
-I want to make a difference in this world. My difference might not be millions or billions of people like Billy Graham or Mother Theresa, but I want to do the good work that God placed me on this earth for.
-When I think bigger than the here and now and bigger than my own problems, I want to touch people’s lives by encouraging them and inspiring them. That is one of the reasons that I write here on this blog.
What is that one thing that you’re inspired to do for others?
#4: People really need/want someone to care.
-There are so many people out there that don’t really have anyone to talk to or listen.
What if you or I are supposed to be that someone?
What if we are supposed to be the person who goes and talks to that person next door?
What if I’m supposed to be the one that listens to one more story about the ‘good old days?’
#5: Jesus sacrificed everything for us, shouldn’t we be willing to give a little time?
-In our world, today, we wear busyness like a badge of honor, but really we shouldn’t. I know from experience that social media can make me feel busy when I’m really not that busy. Social media fills my mind with what everyone else is doing, what’s happening in the political realm, how bad the world is getting, and why can’t that person get it together? In our busyness of mind, we often forget how big a sacrifice our heavenly Father made for us by sending Jesus.
We brush pass that person in the grocery store in our hurry to make it home to make Supper without smiling.
We’re rude in traffic because we are late yet again for church or the kid’s soccer game.
We tell our kids we can’t play with them right now-meanwhile we are only on Facebook.
What if we really invested in relationships?
-What if we lived a little more like Jesus does and less like slaves to our to-do lists?
-What if we listened to one more story about the ‘good old days?’
-What if we really listened to our son tell us about some video game we know nothing about?
-What if we took the time to go for a walk with that daughter who’s always asking even though we are dead tired?
-What if we stopped to talk to that neighbor who walks by us on their daily walk almost everyday?
-What if we went to visit our parents more often?
-What if we remembered that online is no replacement for face to face when possible?
I’ve heard it said that marriage is spelled T.I.M.E.
I dare say that relationships with anyone at all are exactly the same.
Relationship is spelled T.I.M.E.
I know you’re all busy. I also know that busy isn’t an excuse for truly living. I dare you to take a look at your priorities and let a few more people truly in. I promise you will be blessed to invest in relationships.
What about you? I’d love if you’d take the time to chime in and tell me how you take the time to invest in relationships.
If you enjoyed this content, I’d love if you’d take a moment to share it with a friend or via social media.