Building Healthy Relationships: Starting with Your Relationship with God

Having healthy relationships starts with understanding your own relationship with God and your identity in Him. Before we can effectively love others, we must first understand how to love ourselves through God’s perspective.

What Makes a Relationship Healthy?

Healthy relationships begin with you – they can never be healthier than the individuals involved. While many focus on trying to fix others, true relational health starts by working on yourself and your relationship with God.

Understanding Your True Identity

Your identity must be rooted in who God says you are, not what you do or what others say about you. Key aspects of identity include:

• You are made by God intentionally, not by accident
• You are created in God’s image
• You are like God but not God Himself
• Your worth comes from being His creation

Walking in God’s Purpose

God designed you with specific purposes:

• To be fruitful and multiply (beyond just having children)
• To fill the earth as His image bearer
• To exercise godly authority and stewardship
• To create more image bearers through discipleship

The Importance of Rest

Rest is a crucial part of God’s design for healthy living:

• Rest is not earned but given as a gift
• We work from rest, not for rest
• True rest is about connection with God
• Rest allows us to “catch our breath” spiritually

Life Application

To develop healthier relationships, focus on these three areas:

• Develop a proper understanding of your identity in Christ
• Gain perspective on God’s purpose for your life
• Establish healthy rhythms of rest and connection with God

Questions to consider:

• Where do you currently find your identity – in what you do or in who God says you are?
• Are you trying to earn rest or receiving it as a gift from God?
• What practical steps can you take this week to prioritize your relationship with God?

Challenge: This week, instead of focusing on fixing others, concentrate on developing your relationship with God through prayer, Bible reading, and intentional rest. Ask God to show you what true connection with Him looks like in your daily life.