Major General Chip Chapman while on Times Radio said, "The Russians have advanced 12 kilometers in 200 days. Which is about as much as you would advance in a day at an egg-and-spoon race in a primary school."
I found that statement funny considering how slow an egg-and-spoon race is as you try to avoid dropping the egg. I thought about the progress of my relationships and the question I asked myself is if I have been on an egg-and-spoon race.
Fairytale
Relationships are no fairytale. This is not a happily ever after script. As we get deeper into knowing someone, either parent, mentor, sibling, or lover we find out things that may not be easy to understand or live with.
Even with our relationship with God, our human nature is in a constant battle with God's holy nature. Making the process of spiritual stability and growth difficult. God in His love and patience seeks us out even in our stubbornness.
The Privilege
The gift of family and healthy relationships is sometimes overlooked. Daniel had a deep personal relationship with God. A relationship with the Lord Almighty, King of glory. We see how this relationship is valuable to God and Daniel with how they related.
Daniel 10:12-14
12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.
When we don't show up on time or when expected we sometimes don't have the courtesy to explain ourselves. Yet here was an angel explaining to Daniel why he didn't arrive earlier. How angel Michael was dispatched to help and how God heard Daniel and set things in motion.
This is a privilege that is available to all of us. How did Daniel attain this depth of relationship with God that members of armies of heaven came to attend to him?
Sacrifice
Relationships take time to nurture. They grow from one level to the next. The pace might be that of an egg-and-spoon race or that of a bullet train. Consistency, patience, love, humility, grace, forgiveness, and empathy plus all the million things we need, take time to develop.
God sent His only Son to die for us so that we can have a personal relationship with Him. In turn, Jesus Christ left us with the Holy Spirit so we can be one with Him. Solidifying the foundation for a strong relationship. That was God's, sacrificial love.
In the same manner, we should make sacrifices for our relationship with God and man. Daniel had set his mind on gaining understanding and humbling himself before God. This was a sacrifice made by 85-year-old Daniel.
He had received a vision that had left him terrified and emotionally drained. He chose to fast any choice food, meat, or wine, and didn't use lotion for three weeks. We have to forgo pleasures and hobbies to spend time with our children, siblings, and most importantly God.
Deeper relationships this Christmas
The 25th of December is a day that we mostly spend with family as we celebrate the birth of Christ. Some don't have this choice because of strained relationships and the sting of death.
We still have a chance despite the past to forge forward with forgiveness so that we don't spend years in the maze of bitterness. We have the opportunity to fortify our relationships through the love of God. And we truly have the chance to grow closer to God the source of life.
I hope this festive season will be full of blessings for you and your family. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
To healthier, stronger relationships built on patience and the need to be better, together. Thank you and a Merry Christmas to you and yours!