Have you ever noticed that some people are really good with relationships, while others struggle to have even one good friend? Or have you seen how some people who appear to be friendly on the surface really have a mean streak underneath? Or what about the person who seems to sabotage any relationship that comes along?
Why is it that some of us can only go so deep in our relationships? We struggle to have anything other than a surface conversation.
We all have issues with relationships in some way or another. The obvious reason for that is sin. We're all sinful, selfish beings, so we're really good at putting ourselves first. But the Bible gives us some understanding about why some of us are better at relationships than others.
In the eighth chapter of Luke, Jesus tells us the parable of the sower, who scatters seed on the ground. Some of that seed falls on a path, some of it falls on rocks, some of it falls among thorns, and some falls on good soil. The parable is about the kingdom of God. The seeds represent the Word of God. And the story depicts how receptive some people are to the Word.
According to Christ's interpretation of His parable (verses 10-15), there are four different degrees of receptiveness to the Gospel. They are:
(1) Completely unreceptive (the path)
(2) Receptive but shallow (rocks)
(3) Receptive but unprepared (thorns)
(4) Receptive and prepared (soil)
Now, we know that the Gospel represents a relationship with God. The Bible uses many descriptions to explain what it means to be a Christian, and many of those descriptions are words that describe a relationship. And the fruit of the Spirit is relational fruit.
There are also many instances where the Bible compares our relationship to Christ to earthly relationships. The illustration of the bride and groom is probably the clearest. So although the above-referenced parable clearly applies only to our relationship with Christ, we are free to suspect that, and test whether, its wisdom can be logically extended to human relationships, as well. As we examine this matter, I think you'll agree that it can.
What you'll discover is that your mind is the field where the seed of relationships is sown. Your mind's ability to grab that seed and nourish it until it's fully-grown will determine how good you are at dealing with relationships. And there are a lot of wrong thoughts that will come into your mind and destroy how fertile it is for relationships.
