September 8, 2024 - How to Experience God's Design for Healthy Relationships, Part 1 - Pastor Paul Vallee

Dennis Rainey, director of Family Life Today, a ministry to families, explained two decades ago, “...that of the top ten personal needs for which respondents said they want help from the church, six involve marriage and family issues.” What does this mean for us? It means that many relationships are in a state of crisis. People do not relate in a healthy way. If we can’t make it in our most significant relationship, then we often struggle with others, and it begins with our relationship with God. Many people are choosing to live isolated lives. People today try to insulate themselves from the pain that comes from broken relationships by having superficial relationships. People often stay at arm’s length for fear of being hurt. But what did God have in mind when He made us in His image? What is God’s design for human relationships? I’m not just speaking of marriage, but of all kinds of relationships, from family, work, school, and personal.  How should we relate to family, friends and even foes? One thing the bible reveals over and over again is that we were designed to relate to others. What is fascinating is that just before Jesus was about to be crucified, He prayed an incredible prayer for Himself, His closest followers, and us who came to believe because of their message. The prayer I’m referring to is found in John 17. Here, we gain an understanding of God’s design for healthy relationships. The mission of Christ, the mission of the church, can only be achieved when we have a proper relationship with God and one another as His followers. Without healthy relationships, marriages crumble, families disintegrate, workplaces lose productivity and often struggle financially, churches lose impact, and people become embittered and lonely. Then, to compensate for the loss, people often search for meaning in superficial relationships, temporal gains, or all-consuming addictions. We try to fill our emptiness with something other than what God intends. What people end up finding out is that false substitutes are not satisfying.