Inspiration and Life

Better Understand Relationships to Improve Your Life

The difference good relationships make

Who are you living for — yourself or others? Can you imagine being alone in life, with no one to care for or to care for you? It isn’t easy to imagine living in such a world for most of us. Talk about a lonely existence!

Without a relationship with another human being, life becomes difficult and meaningless. Nothing else can fill such a void outside of God Himself!

While being alone and lonely are different, Psychology Today claims loneliness is as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes a day! Imagine how much worse it is to be isolated from other human beings. It is no wonder solitary confinement is considered the cruelest form of punishment!

“Something in our nature cries out to be loved by another. Isolation is devastating to the human psyche. That is why solitary confinement is considered the cruelest of punishments.” Gary Chapman (1938-present)

Human beings are relational creations meant to be dependent on one another. Another way to say this is life only exists in relationship. You could also state it as life IS relationship. Therefore, relationships make life worth living and not worth living outside of them.

What about God, you ask? Without Him, we would not exist. Yes, we can have a wonderful, full, life-giving relationship with Him. This relationship will continue forever for those who believe. Yet back in the garden, God stated:

“And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Genesis 2:18 NKJV

He made us to be in relationship, not only with Him but with at least one other on earth during our lifetime.

So I ask again, for whom are you living? Do you see how important it is to have someone in your life? Do you see how vital relationships are to survival?

For whom are you living?

As a Christian, I believe the ultimate relationship is with God. If you are not a believer in God, there is still much to gain by being in relationships, even though they only last so long as you are alive. What relationships are most important to you? If you say you are living for yourself and at least one other person, it gives your life some purpose, does it not?

You need that relationship with another person to have purpose and meaning as much as you need air to breathe. The type of relationship is another matter. What kind of relationship brings meaning to your life?

That person you love, especially your spouse, brings meaning to your life. Your children and those in your family and friends do as well. Each person affects your life in some way. The less important the relationship is, the less meaning it brings.

Yet even those relationships you keep at arm’s length bring some meaning to your life. And what about your pets? Doesn’t your relationship with them create meaning in your life as well? I know mine certainly do!

Relationships come in many forms, yet the most important relationship outside of God is that person you love most. The closer you are to them, the more purpose and meaning you have in life. Relationships are the sole reason mankind continues to prosper on earth.

As a believer, I believe I live for God, to serve and honor Him all my days. I am alive because of Him and kept alive by Him. I will be with Him in heaven when my time on earth is up. He is my reason for living, which makes my life meaningful and full of purpose.

I also believe God wants us in relationships so that we may be like Him. To love and be loved, to show kindness, mercy, and all of His many wonderful attributes. God gave us the perfect model for our relationships when He came to earth as Jesus. Jesus enables us to have a personal relationship with Him and God. For believers, the following quote is true:

“Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.” Rick Warren (1954-present)

The importance of a close relationship

It is only in relationship that life is worth living. A relationship gives you a standard against which you can measure your life. A relationship requires communication, caring, and responsibility to one another to provide for their needs. Their needs can be as basic as food, as intimate as marriage, or in its highest form, spiritual.

As a former president of the United States said more than a century ago:

“Provision for others is a fundamental responsibility of human life.” Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)

Providing for someone else in life adds meaning and purpose to your life. It is difficult to imagine being alone, with no other human contact. As one of the most famous poets in history penned 500 years ago:

“No man is an island, entire of itself.” John Donne (1572–1631)

Not only is providing for those we are in relationships a fundamental responsibility, but it’s also what makes living worthwhile. As was stated by one of the most intelligent men to have ever lived:

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” Albert Einstein (1879–1955)

To live for others is to live selflessly.

“Selfless acts are a source of profound meaning for your self and your life.” Ron Kaufman (1956-present)

To live selflessly in a way that provides for others brings happiness and joy into your life.

“Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.” Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962)

No one who has ever made a difference lives only for themselves. Although we humans are selfish, we cease to be human when we are so selfish that no one and nothing else matters.

All one has to do is look at the death and destruction created by such extremely selfish people as Hitler, Stalin, and Mao Zedong. These three men alone were responsible for murdering more than 150 million people!

Thankfully most people cannot conceive of taking even one life, which shows how such extreme selfishness distorts the very meaning of mankind, with the emphasis on kind.

Final thoughts

Ultimately, we live for ourselves and others to provide and create a worthwhile life for them and us. Giving to others gives us the joy and happiness needed to live a good life.

It is wonderful that we receive more in return by giving to others. We must never give to get or manipulate, which is the epitome of selfishness. We should give out of our hearts, expecting nothing in return. Then we will receive love, respect, joy, happiness, satisfaction, and much more.

“We must give more in order to get more. It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest.” Orison Swett Marden (1848–1924)

A full life is only received when it is lived selflessly by living it for others.

May your life be rich and full of magnificent relationships!

I will ask you one final time, for whom are you living your life? The next time you see them, hug them and express how much they mean to you and how deeply you appreciate them. Forever remember this moment as the reason God created you!

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Bill Abbate Leadership Writer and Editor in ILLUMINATION

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