Relationship with self, others and God

This weekend I’ll be speaking at the SECC Young Adult Retreat hosted on the grounds of Pine Springs Ranch in Idyllwild, CA.  The the theme for the weekend is [Relationships | You w/ self, others and God].  I’d love your thoughts about any or all of the three above. 

What is your relationship like with yourself?  The other day I was thinking about what I truly value in life.  It really all came down to people… nothing more than people.  BUT… it dawned on me that if I don’t value myself, second only to my value of Jesus, then I am of not able to truly value others the way that I should.  Let’s take my relationship with my wife Susan.  In order for me to truly love her, I cannot treat her the way that she deserves to be treated unless I truly value myself.  The question needs to be addressed, “What do you mean by valuing yourself.” What I mean is loving yourself.  Do you truly love yourself.  Are you proud of the decisions that you’re making.  Are there habits in your life that you’ve been desiring to work on, but keep putting off?  Are there things around the house that you should be doing instead of watching TV?  Do you value yourself enough to exercise, eat a health meal (or at least a healthy portion), take up a new hobby, read a book, attend a conference?  You are made in the image of God.  God is into creating and life.  Go create life as an image bearer of God.  Really value yourself.  What is holding you back.  You’re your greatest asset.

Once you truly begin to value yourself you’re able to love as Jesus loves.  After all, wasn’t it He that taught, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:27-29).  So as a reminder, on my top Greatest Values list is Jesus.  I value (love) Jesus more than anything else in this world.  Secondly I truly value myself.  In some respects its weird to hear me say that, but it’s true.  And I’m learning to become more and more comfortable with that as the days go on.  But now that I have that alignment, I am able to truly and genuinely value and love others.  Over the past 6 months or so, I’ve turned a new leaf.  I simply reached a point where I was too frustrated with life to keep allowing it to live me like it was (phrased intentionally in that order).  We are designed to live life and all too often life lives us.  I’ve always loved my wife but now I am driven to show her that I love her.  This may sound crazy, but one of the things that I have fallen in love doing is folding my wifes clothes.  (NOTE: I’ve never known another man to share this out-loud.) In 8 years of marriage I’VE NEVER FOLDED MY WIFES CLOTHES… but something lately has changed.  I don’t do it all the time, but occasionally when my wife is in a rush, she’ll dump a fresh, clean pile of clothes on the dresser or on the bed and dash off to work.  Several of those times I simply took the time to fold each garment that was in the pile.  As I did, the weirdest thing happened.  I felt so absolutely in love with my wife.  (Someone put me at ease and tell me whether or not I’m the only one.  But before you respond, if you’ve never folded your wifes clothes, try it.) I love Jesus, I love myself and I love my wife Susan.

So this brings us to the third, but actually the most vital topic that we’ll be discussing this weekend.  The topic is a relationship with Jesus.  I mean when you think about it… really think about it… what a crazy notion.  How in the world does a person have a relationship with someone who is invisible?  Is that even possible?  Can you have a relationship with someone you can’t hear?  I actually believe that you can hear the Living God and that you can experience the invisible on a very tangible level. 

I’m excited to join those who’ll be headed up to Pine Springs Ranch this weekend.  I am trusting and praying that it’ll truly be a mountain top experience.

Colossians 1:27

In Him,

Matthew

Posted by matthew gamble on May 25, 2011 at 05:19 PM
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