The Harmony of Relationship

A couple of days ago I was feeling stressed and insecure, so I reached out to my longtime friends, Patty and Mike, who live nearby. As I sat at their kitchen table visiting and playing cards, I grabbed my phone and began to play songs by a group Patty and I were members of beginning in the late 1970s. The recordings on my phone were from a 1981 concert, recorded on reel-to-reel tape, later transferred to cassette, then finally to a digital audio file for computers and phones. The fuzzy quality of the recordings wasn’t great, but the blend of our voices evoked warm memories that took us back to the beginning of our friendship. While we listened, we looked at each other’s face and began to sing our parts to these old songs in perfect harmony.

We met at a church singles group in Bakersfield over 40 years ago. Several churches joined together to hold a singles’ conference at the local junior college. A major Christian artist was the keynote speaker / musician and my friend Nancy and I were asked to put together a singing group to open for him. We invited a couple of gals from the singles’ group and arranged our first rehearsal. We didn’t really know each other very well and the sound was pretty rough for the first few minutes. I suggested we form a circle and face each other. Nancy and I began playing a familiar song on our 12-string guitars while we all looked into each others’ faces and listened carefully to one another. That did it! In a few minutes, our voices melded together into an incredibly sweet sound that we never lost. We created something special because we took the time to watch and listen . A musical relationship was developed which led to a close personal relationship and trust.

Sitting here, writing this, I realize the same model holds true for my friendships today. The people who look me in the eye and listen to hear, rather than respond, are the ones I have relationship with. I do the same for them. We have trust and have earned the right to be honest with and encourage one another. These are the people I cherish and with whom I share the harmony of relationship. They are my friends.

For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. – 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 (NLT)