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I’m Mary Lowman of The Christian Working Woman and this week I’m delighted to have my long-time dear friend, Dámaris Carbaugh speak to us about relationships.

Thanks, Mary. I’m delighted to be here. It’s interesting that if you look at someone’s info on Facebook it sometimes says “in a relationship,” and we all know what that means. Isn’t it interesting that none of us think that that person is married. Well, I’m very much in a relationship, and have been for 41 plus years with my wonderful husband, Rod. It’s telling, don’t you think, that our society doesn’t include married people as people who are “in a relationship.” As I’ve been thinking about relationships, it’s becoming increasingly clear to me that we need to learn what God intended for relationships to be like.

First, God created us to have a relationship with him. The Bible tells us in Genesis 1:26, “Let US make human beings in our image, to be like US.” Right from the beginning we see that the Godhead has always been in a relationship. Yes, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have always been in perfect communion! There’s no beginning and there will be no end to their relationship. I don’t think I’ll ever entirely understand why God would want to have a relationship with us—with me—it’s just a mystery to me. But I am so very thankful that he does indeed desire for me to know him and I can have a close relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Father sent Jesus. Jesus came to show us the Father. And the Father and Jesus promised to send us the Holy Spirit to show us how to live in right relationship with him and with others. Of course when we sinned our right relationship with God was broken. But praise God—the Bible also tells us that Christ died for us while we were still sinners and made us right in God’s sight.

You know, until we understand how to have a right relationship with God, we will never truly know how to have a right relationship with others. Our relationship with God will determine the way we interact with everyone. Our husband, our children, our co-workers, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Everyone we interact with will either reveal the good relationship we have with God or not. Relationships are a gift from God. Do you see it that way? I sure want to. If we yield to God, He will use our relationships as a means to show us His heart. Our beloved David says this in Psalm 16:11, “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.” David wants that because that’s what God wanted. Keep in mind that the Father loved us so much that He sent Jesus, the way, the truth, the life, so that we could be with Him in a perfect relationship forever!