A tale on building relationships
A few years ago, I wrote a story in English about a wealthy lord who had given his daughter’s hand in marriage to a young man whom he had rescued from the streets. The lord instructed his new son-in-law to love and take care of his daughter. The son-in-law thought that he was fulfilling the lord’s wishes by working night and day to provide a flourishing home for his family, but he had actually missed the point! The lord’s hope was for his son-in-law to build a strong relationship with his wife and children. Although English is not my first language—nor my second, I decided to produce this video (exclusively in English) because I thought that the overall message was worth sharing.
This story is actually inspired by the worship song Dance With Me from Jesus Culture, and the teaching is found in the Gospel of Luke chapter 10 verses 38 to 42.
The Example of Martha and Mary
38 Now while they were on their way, Jesus entered a village [called Bethany], and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was continually listening to His teaching. 40 But Martha was very busy and distracted with all of her serving responsibilities; and she approached Him and said, “Lord, is it of no concern to You that my sister has left me to do the serving alone? Tell her to help me and do her part.” 41 But the Lord replied to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered and anxious about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part [that which is to her advantage], which will not be taken away from her.”
Luk 10:38-42, AMP
A Practical Example of Building Relationships
I’m always amazed by the way that God uses simple situations in life to build our character. As luck would have it—or as God would have it, while I was editing the Dance With Me video, I received a phone call from a lady who goes to the same church as me. Although we are not very close, I have helped her out a couple of times in the past few months. When I received the call, I felt a little annoyed because it was disrupting my work on the video, so I decided not to answer. But when I received the notification on my phone that she had left me a voicemail, a sudden “ding” went off in my mind. Was I not submerged in a teaching that emphasizes the importance of building relationships? Yet here I was, putting my work before the opportunity to nurture a growing relationship…
As I mentioned in the video, for some people like me or like Martha, it’s often easier to DO things than to really BE with people.
P.S. Just letting you know that as soon as I realized my mistake, I immediately dropped everything and called her back. The conversation we had was amazing! I’m very grateful for this moment.
