Prioritising relationships was last weekend’s theme at The Belfrey. One of the reasons God is telling us to ‘slow down’ is so the quality of our relationships can improve. So we can love better. So we can forgive and give. So we can kindly challenge as well as compassionately care.
If you want a text to help you consider this further, look no further than 1 Corinthians 13. The fact that it’s often read at weddings means that some think this passage on love describes a gooey sentimental love. But read it more carefully and you’ll see God encouraging us to live a tough love. A love that is patient. A love that keeps no record of wrongs. A love that never lies. A love that is self-less. This is the kind of love we’d all love to receive. For the disciple, this is love God calls us to give.
Tough love expresses itself in all kinds of ways – one of which is not rising to conflict. Seth Godin has blogged about this today. He calls it ‘de-escalation’ and I commend his wise words to you (read by clicking here). He ends by talking about slowing down to prioritise relationships, writing:
‘Taking time and letting air in (and the heat escape) might be precisely the best way to build the relationships we need for the long run.’
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