How following this part of Jesus’ example can transform your relationships …

You may think you don’t, but all of us go into relationships (of any kind) with some kind of expectations.

In marriage, it may be that your spouse will remain faithful for life.

In friendship, it could be that your friends be loyal.

In fellow church members, that they would be encouraging and supportive in living out the Christian faith.

We also tend to have pre-drawn lines …

“If my spouse cheats on me, I will divorce him/her …”

“If I can’t count on my friends, they’re gone …”

“If my fellow church members are judgmental, I’ll go somewhere else …”

What if I told you Jesus modeled for us a way of engaging in relationships that we could adopt, and doing so might be transformative for some of your relationships?

We find this example in Matthew 26. Jesus and his disciples have had the “last supper” together and are on their way to the Mount of Olives …

“On the way, Jesus told them, ‘Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, “God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there,” Matthew 26:31-32.

How Jesus approached His relationship with His disciples was totally different from how we usually approach our relationships. In the example from this passage of scripture, notice:

• • Jesus knew the disciples would desert Him.
  • But He also knew He would forgive them!
  • And He told them in advance, while knowing they would desert Him, that He would meet them later! He knew He would pick up His relationship with them where it had left off!

Think about it – if someone deserted you at your greatest moment of need in your lifetime, and you knew they would do that, would you already know you would forgive them and pick up the relationship as if nothing happened?

Not likely.

But Jesus did.

That’s a living demonstration of unconditional love.

We don’t think through our approach to relationships prior to entering into them. Instead, we start with some expectations and pre-drawn lines, then lumber into a relationship. Then, when a sinful, flawed, imperfect human being commits a sin, reveals a flaw, or shows their imperfection within the relationship, we react with shock and emotionally, often irrationally, and very often without unconditional love.

How can we draw closer to the example of Jesus?

• • We know every human relationship we have will disappoint us in some way, at some point, because no human being is perfect.
  • We can also know that we’ll forgive them, and that we’ll move forward with them after that, by choosing and making a commitment to love unconditionally prior to entering into the relationship.

Imagine how adopting such an example of Jesus could be transformative to some of your relationships!

Scotty