OVERCOMING UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
a relationship with. Keep in mind that not all connections turn into or should turn into long-term relationships. Some are better off as acquaintances.
There is one relationship that is first and foremost, however, that serves as a gauge for how good a relationship is for us—our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus has a way of illuminating the darkness if we tune into it.
“I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.” (John 12:46)
It is possible that we may need to move away from a relationship with someone because they negatively influence us from having a good connection with God. If we continually put ourselves into places where God is not celebrated or where our relationship with Him is compromised, we will eventually, sooner than later, begin to feel as if God is distant and our connection with Him lost. Why is this important? Because connection with God pleases Him—we were made for relationship with Him and others, remember? Our relationships with others will be so much more enhanced the more we directly connect to God in relationship.
Connecting with God is simply to get alone with Him and connect directly to Him. God tells us to, “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). So when you feel like the closest relationships in your life are in jeopardy, or you are moving at a hundred miles an hour, and you cannot keep up the pace, find a moment to rest your mind, body, and heart. You can be still before God and be reminded of who He is, what He has done, and where He has taken you. He can give you a new and fresh perspective about the health, or unhealthiness, of your relationships.
Often, all we need to do is stop for just a moment in time and look up. Like a dog, who walks next to his master looks back to keep a frame of reference, we ought to keep our focus on where God is at all times too. The best part is, He is always just beside us. We don’t need to look far.
You can find true rest in your spirit and innermost being by being in His presence. When we live with Jesus as our shelter—our covering—we know our relationships with others, even if thrown into tumult, can be restored and recon- ciled. Getting alone with God is the best antidote, the best course-correction, to reboot and replenish the relationships around us.
Sometimes, disconnection means we just need a break from people—we need to disconnect with them temporarily to refocus. Jesus did this, so why would we think we are not in need of it?
“After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself