God said, ”It is not good for man to be alone; I’ll make him a helper, a companion”. Gen.2:18 TM. Jesus said “Love the Lord God with all your passion, prayer, intelligence and energy….and love your neighbour as well as you love yourself”. Mk.12:31 TM.
These two quotes from scripture are the blue print for all human relationships….love of God and love of one another. This initial blue print was first damaged in the garden by human desire and later cast aside by a jealous murderer. These two acts germinate the seed of all human separation which, leads us away from God and, over centuries, has torn the human race apart and continues its toxic, destructive influence today. A glance at the present world scene provides tragic evidence of the complexities encountered in creating and maintaining right relations between international super powers and the deadly result when a breakdown in relationships occurs. Governing bodies, local committees, community organizations, businesses and marriages require a sound basis of co-operation and understanding.
Good relationships are the key, but creating them between individuals and between humans and nature can be prevented by our self-will. God’s intention is togetherness. All his actions to restore community between Israel and the surrounding nations and justice for all was redemptive. When Jesus stepped into the arena, where we humans promote differences which result in conflict, his primary mission was to reconcile individuals with one another and with God. The basic principle for his kingdom was right relationships transcending race, gender, status and religion. In all his encounters he personified this primary purpose. He never avoided, marginalized, denigrated, intimidated, dominated or excluded anyone; enemies, strangers, friends were received with grace. His charisma attracted many curious to discover his secret. He ignored all social, national, status distinctions and racial boundaries designed to separate people. He saw everyone as imprinted with the divine. He was aware of the emotional pain caused by false assumptions, prejudice and alienation propagated by tribal tradition and false teaching. He said ‘Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, or criticize their faults. Don’t condemn those who are down. Be easy on people’ Luke 6:38 TM. True to his own word He loved, welcomed, listened to and served others whatever their status or condition wanting them to be one with himself.
After his conversion Paul’s thinking on human relationships underwent major changes. What he had once held sacrosanct he discarded to become a new creation in Christ. This experience shaped his teaching to help new Christians in their relationship with each other and the community. They were ‘to love from the center of who they were’. ‘Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone’. ‘Make friends with nobodies; don’t be a great somebody’ ‘Love other people as well as you love yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others’. (adapted from Romans 12 & 13). ‘The goal is to bring out the best in others in our conversation’ Col.4:6. ‘Look on victims of abuse as if what happened to them had happened to you’ Heb.13:2.
Our dependence on others is undeniable, but how we see them and relate to them is vital. This is where the rubber of our faith hits the road of reality which is sometimes bumpy, hard and unpleasant. The human contact in our supermarkets, tax offices and social facilities tests our ability to promote right relationships with those we meet. The planet on which we live with its rich diversity of life and resources is in dire need of human respectful relationship. We humans and the earth depend on love – the essence of the universe.
Having a right relationship with God may require a necessary process of unlearning our mistaken ideas of him. Meister Eckhart said: ”I pray that I may be quit of God that I may find God”. God touches those who accept they are flawed nobodies – the ’poor in spirit’. Jesus shows us what a right relationship with God and others is like. He sought to dispel the illusions of God in the minds of many. The biblical stories and the gospels record the merciful action of God to reconcile us and all creation unto himself by his redemptive sacrifice and resurrection power. We are beloved of God whether we realize it or not. His limitless grace is the energy driving his relentless loving endeavor to bring us into his life-giving embrace. It does not depend on anything we do, except accept his gift of extravagant, unconditional forgiveness by faith, turn away from our willful desires and be reconciled. When our relationship is restored we become a new creation in which our spirit is redirected and empowered by the dynamism of his Spirit. This is a not a once off event, but a life-long process of opening ourselves to the true and living God governing our daily activities, our relationships with others and with the earth. We are nurtured by a daily rendezvous with God, applying ourselves to proven practices and disciplines which help maintain and enrich our relationship with God ‘in who we live and have our being’.