About Relationships –
Pursuing God
(Written by
Kevin A Hall 05.2017)
These past months have given
me cause to reevaluate the impact of my life. It is true what they say, “When you get older, your priorities change”.
What of the years I spent pursuing selfish dreams? How about futile
relationships? How about attempts to reach high up the corporate ladder? How
about now, having passed the 40-year mark…Is my marriage what I envisioned it
to be? What of my sisters and brothers…Do they really know me? And then, most
importantly…What of my relationship with God? The day I decided to quit my job
in pursuit of Christ was a landmark moment in my life. I never told anyone this
but I share it today – I lived and breathed “work”. I wanted nothing but
excellence! And I achieved much of my goals. Yet, there is always some force to
contend with in relationships. My last boss was selfish. He wanted to make a
name for himself, but at whose expense? I played along with the game as best as
I could, yet, months in, I realized this was a dead end struggle. I was
determined not to lose my sanity in the process. It was during this time that I
found solace in spending more time with God. I felt God’s call to connect with
Him on a deeper level – a deeper level. It was clear as daylight that it was
time to leave the job. The phone call was not difficult. The difficult part was
leaving years of toil and sweat and successes, and hopes and dreams and
relationships, even failures behind. I really loved what I was doing. But it
was time to go. Since that phone call, and I remember it well (June 18, 2016 @
2:10 pm) it feels like I have achieved in one year, more than I have in the
past 10 years. I attribute the achievements to one thing – The Intentional
Pursuit Of Christ. To that end, I have been reading simultaneously two books
related to Spiritual Disciplines. Here are some takeaways on cultivating
relationships:
Mike Breene introduced the
concept of a Life Shape –
consistency in maintaining and developing relationships. The triangle outlined
3 dimensions of relationships: UP – as
it relates to God; IN – as
it relates to those in our circles; OUT – as
it relates to those around us.
