What would life be like to live without other people? 

Christopher Knight experienced that reality firsthand for almost three decades. In 1986, 20-year old Knight deliberately lost himself in the woods of Maine. Then, for 27 years, he lived alone as a hermit. Though Knight spent most of his time at his camp in the woods, occasionally he had to steal supplies from nearby cabins. Eventually, he was caught, and so ended his life as a hermit. 

Ironically, Knight was returned to civilization because he needed things that he couldn’t produce on his own. He even needed other people.

According to a recent study, nearly half of Americans report “sometimes or always feeling alone,” and 43% of Americans “sometimes or always feel that their relationships are not meaningful.” Reportedly, Generation Z is “the loneliest generation.”  

In light of our society’s relational dysfunction, how can we improve relationships and become more connected to one another? To begin, we must return to the Biblical foundation of relationships. We can’t live without other people, because life is all about relationships. Today, we’ll examine four reasons why relationships cannot be skipped. 

1. God Created Relationships

God created relationships, because He is relational. As one example, relationship finds expression in the Trinity–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

After creating Adam, God stated, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Subsequently, God formed Eve, and later blessed this first couple with children. Likewise, God created the animals in pairs, male and female. 

As the author of relationships, God stands as the most important relationship, without which meaningful relationships are impossible. Additionally, He has a purpose for every relationship we encounter in life. As the one who created relationships, God is the final authority on relationships. 

2. We Cannot Serve God Without Relationships 

We were designed to connect. In fact, it’s simply impossible to do the work God has called us to do without interpersonal relationships. The Great Commission, work, church, evangelism, and family are all relational. The time we spend alone with God is relational.

Even money and economic transaction are relational, built upon mutual trust and commitment. Can you name one important area of life that doesn’t have a relationship tied to it?

Thus, when asked by a scribe what the greatest commandment was, Christ summed up the Ten Commandments and the Mosaic law in loving God and loving others (Matthew 10:34-40). 

3. Relationships Are Life’s Training Ground 

Relationships are both life’s workplace and preparatory school. Where does this training begin? In the home.

As Phil Downer points out, the stakes of this preparation are high. Lamenting on the failure of modern parenting, Downer remarks, They [the children] are not learning to live together as a family. The kids are growing up with so much protection from personal relationships that no one really knows what is going on inside their heads. Instead of being eager to maintain unity, the children never learn to be unselfish. Rather than working out their differences and conflicts with their siblings, they simply pack stuff between each other, so they do not have to deal with one another.“

Downer then describes the tragic results of poor preparation in this way, “We are delivering into the Christian community people who are inept at dealing with relationships, incompetent at resolving conflicts, and unable to reach other people with God’s love. They are consumers, nothing more.”

Therefore, family relationships in large part determine one’s effectiveness in the kingdom, laying the groundwork for other relationships. In the end, those who learn to love their family unselfishly will find it much easier to extend Christ’s love to others later in life.

4. Relationships Express Value

In contrast to all other worldviews, Christianity teaches that man was created in God’s image. How can an atheist really care about others, if he or she thinks they’re nothing more than evolved animals? Darwin thought it a pity that modern medicine provided relief for the weak and sickly, who otherwise might have died through “survival of the fittest.” Inevitably, such thinking provided the rationale for totalitarian despots like Hitler, Stalin, and Mao who slaughtered millions.

By contrast, Christ cared about everyone–the sick and the downtrodden, rich and poor alike. He came to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Those who learn the art of relationships can better express the compassion of Christ to the world.

On his deathbed, General William Booth was asked to telegram a message to be read at the Salvation Army’s convention. Before thousands of attendees, the convention moderator opened the telegram, which contained one simple message, “Others.”

Conclusion

We simply cannot skip relationships, because God created us relational for a distinct purpose. In the midst of a lonely world, we can shine the light through our daily interactions.

Without relationships, life is meaningless. Rather than avoiding relationships, we can learn to treat others with dignity and compassion.

Question: Why are relationships important?