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Interesting Benefits of Developing Relationships
Tags: Bible, Christian, Christianity, ecclesiastes, Friends, friendship, old testament, Relationships, Religion, solomon
We were created by God to have a relationship with Him and with others. The Bible clearly states that we have a need for strong and healthy relationships, and in Ecclesiastes Solomon writes about some of the wonderful benefits of having meaningful relationships with others.
In this chapter Solomon talks about three specific ways that you will benefit from having true friends.
First, when you fall (and that could be literally or figuratively) a friend can lift you up.
Second, when it’s cold a loved one close by can help keep you warm.
Third, when you face danger in your life, a friend will help to defend you.
The three examples provided by Solomon include problems the are self-induced, difficulties that result from natural forces that are beyond our control, and situations that are a result of poor decisions by others. Really, I can’t imagine any problem that we could face that wouldn’t fit into one of these areas.
As Solomon points out, regardless of the type of problem, a true friend or companion will be there to help during the struggle. Interestingly, after writing about these wonderful benefits, he says three are better than two!
Go out and make some new friends and build stronger, healthier relationships. Many of us hold back and “protect” ourselves by not letting others too close. Usually this is a result of hurt from poor relationships in the past, but we need to put that behind us and move forward to build good friendships.
Lord, thank You for the incredible friends You have given me. I treasure their words of encouragement, their prayers on my behalf, and their support. Help me to be as good a friend to them as they are to me.
Dr. Ann Shorb is a counselor with CCES in southern PA. CCES offers Christian Marital Counseling, Premarital Counseling, and help for a number of other issues.
