When you look into someone’s face, do you see the real presence of the person you encounter? Do you understanding our connectedness.
You are relational! You are connected to others. You are not a separate entity, traveling through life on your own. Wrapped up in your own identity. Engulfed in your own little world. So often, we get caught up in the “me” and “mine” of life—my money, my job, my family, my issues.
The dictionary definition of the word “relational” is this:
Concerning the way in which two or more people or things are connected.
Last Saturday, the men’s ministry in our church hosted a prayer breakfast. We gathered at individual tables; after sharing pleasantries, we got down to the business of discussing the assigned topics. Near the end of the teaching period, each person shared a brief prayer with the entire audience. As we went around from table to table, the room was electrified by the presence of the Holy Spirit. It was as if someone opened a window to let us peer into the life of the person sitting nearby. We had a personal glimpse of private conversations with God.
A mother spoke of the imminent challenge facing her son—returning home in a few hours after twenty-five years of incarceration. A young woman sought Divine direction in meeting the mate God designed for her.
We are connected to one another, even our enemies. For years, I told myself I had no enemies. That was all right; even when I discovered I was wrong, it didn’t matter. When you can tolerate being injured by a person and not resent them for it, you become a stronger person.
When we understand that we are relational, we choose not to react to or get sucked into anyone else’s anger, resentment or hatred. Otherwise, you wreck your immune system. Being reactive results in inner dis-ease. You cannot become internally angry about a situation without making yourself ill.
Being conscious of our connectivity doesn’t make you vulnerable, it makes you powerful. You can become immune to negative energy. Nothing can hurt you; you reserve that power for sharing love. Transmitting love and joy may not change how others feel about you, but it sucks the negative energy out of your reaction.
Experiencing everyday joy means opening your eyes to those around you to see your coworkers, casual acquaintances, friends, family members. Learned joy is caring enough to understand the challenges others are facing and what is going on in their lives.
There is even scientific evidence that life connects us and that we affect one other. You are an eternal soul, encased in a temporary body. The energy that I want to transmit is that of healing, connection, communication and compassion.
That’s how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ,
as well as part of one another. ~ Romans 12:5 (Contemporary English Version)