Mission critical relationships: find them!

Sometimes God exposes us to particular experiences and people to get our attention and draw us into a more intentional journey into the full expression of His purpose for our lives. By shining a spotlight on someone intriguing, and drawing them to our attention, He stirs hope and vision for our own future. He moves us beyond the generic “I want to be a good Christian” posture into a more proactive “I too want to lay hold of whatever He laid hold of me for!” stance (Phil. 3:12).

Others' personal journey - and, optimally, their movement toward convergence - models life-patterns and choices that God uses to help us finish well. And such timely, God-given interactions give us a taste for the kinds of ongoing relationships we all need to help us along the way.

If we will go there, God leverages this kind of inspiration to help us build into our lives the relational patterns inherent to ongoing personal transformation and long-term destiny fulfillment. Like Mary in Luke 1:26-56, we all need Elizabeths who will say to us, “You are blessed!  Blessed is that which you carry in your womb, and blessed are you who believe that the things the Lord has spoken will be fulfilled!”

We need a “band of brothers” — not many, but enough, who stay with us in the battle, cover our backs, and help us discern our deployment orders through the din of warfare. Perhaps just as importantly, they help us sharpen and maintain our strategic focus in the midst of life’s daily routines and the mind-numbing periods of waiting in the trenches.

These relationships can take a number of forms. The Lord can and will provide a variety of key connections throughout the evolving seasons of our lives which can, with effort, grow into this kind of hearty, resilient, fruitful, collaborative relationship. These may include spouses, friends, family members, partners, team members, mentors, and coaches.

Relationships of this caliber are not automatic, and they don't "just happen" for some people while somehow being mysteriously denied to others. We've got to *get this* at a visceral level in order to do our part, until they become a non-negotiable norm in our own lives.

The more clear we become about our need for a core of such mission-critical companions, the more specific we become in our requests to God. More alert as He provides us with the key relationships we'll need along the way. More aggressive about doing our part to cultivate them. And more intentional about appropriately valuing, celebrating, and investing in those He provides.