Problems are easy to see and become clearer in hindsight. Solutions require forethought and are much more difficult. The headlines, news shows, Facebook and Twitter highlight the abundance of problems in the world and people’s lives. But, life is a journey to be made not a problem to be fixed. Life is an adventure to be shared and relationships are critical in that adventure. I believe this but I don’t always live it. I am prone to withdraw into solitude and silence where I block out the noise of the world, it’s problems and at times the people in it. Christmas is my reminder that God provided a solution to ALL problems through the birth of Jesus and my relationship with Him is the key to my journey and adventure in life.
One of my relationships ended on Christmas Eve when I lost a good friend to a massive heart attack. Most people have felt the sting of losing someone they care about. I knew Glenn for 25 years but some people knew him for a lifetime. Relationships that last a long time are priceless and provide greater depth and clarity to understanding a person AND yourself. My relationship with Glenn brought me closer to him, myself and God. What a testimony. My relationship with Jesus works the same way.
My relationship with Christ has taught me so much about myself through His Word. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4. I’ve spent too much of my life putting myself before others. Glenn was a man just like the rest of us, but my relationship with him was characterized by his love for and efforts made on behalf of others and not himself. This was because Glenn had a relationship with Jesus. Great reminder that when we let Christ in our hearts, He will use each of us and our relationships to bring glory to the name of Jesus.
Long relationships and the fruit they provide are more possible only when we make the effort to establish new relationships. Try to remember that in 2018. Try to remember the richness and value of friends you have and have lost when presented with the opportunity to give of yourself to a new relationship this next year. Facebook is an outpouring of emotions as people look back and recollect what their lost friends have meant to them. I am reminded to look ahead and not miss the opportunities of new friendships in the coming days and months. God, give us a discerning spirit to never stop pouring out and into others as we continue the journey of life.
Glenn’s death served to remind me that life is fleeting and each day needs to be lived with a greater sense of urgency, purpose and conviction. “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1st Peter 4:7-8. Peter was a disciple who had learned that life presents problems but through our relationship with Christ we are given a promise that all those issues have been and can be solved with the love that comes from God.
The New Year brings resolutions to be a better version of ourselves in the coming days. Skip the better and go for the new. Christmas solved the problem of needing better solutions by making a new relationship with God possible through his Son, Jesus. Glenn could not have been a better friend to me in 2018. Glenn was a good friend only because he had a relationship with Christ. I knew Glenn well and I’m still getting to know Jesus. In 2018, I resolve to be a good husband, father and friend…not better.
My problems, yours, the world’s problems are solved if we choose to have a relationship with Jesus. If we have that relationship then we need to make every day an opportunity for new relationships with people of all colors, creeds and beliefs. If we limit those relationships to similarities we share, political beliefs or religious practices we will miss the Glenn Grahams of the world…we will miss the adventures that give us memories and experiences that make our lives rich.
“…The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” 1 John 3:8. This Christmas season, remember the solution God provided years ago. Let your relationship with Him be the solution for the world we live in. Let Him be the center of all your relationships. As you live and when you die, let your life be the proof of that relationship. Let your relationships reflect the solution Christmas represents. Glenn did and I’m better because of that fact.