Let’s face it, down deep inside we all want friends and to be accepted by others! God wired it into us as humans and anyone who claims otherwise just doesn’t want to admit loneliness  Relationships are a vital part of our lives. The key is to recognize and to cultivate healthy, Godly relationships and to separate ourselves from ungodly ones.

Our relationships should build our confidence in God and ourselves and what He has called us to be. They should motivate us to be the best that we can be for Him and to encourage us to stand strong when we are considering giving up. They should forgive us when we make mistakes and accept us as we are. They should recognize when we are hurting, in need, and be there to lean on when we can’t seem to walk on our own. Above all, they should enable and strengthen us in whatever way possible to grow in our relationship with God and to achieve His will for our lives.

For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13

Water was a precious commodity to the audience of Jeremiah and they would have clearly understood the difference between a “spring” and a “cistern” and the benefits of one over the other. In fact, to these people it was considered a blessing from God Himself to have a natural spring on one’s land.

For those who were not blessed with such a resource, they were required to dig a hole in the ground and to seal the walls of the hole with lime. Water was then transported to the hole or cistern to be stored for use at a later time. Unfortunately, these crude storage containers would develop cracks over time and the water would leak out into the surrounding soil. As a result, the water would be lost and the walls would have to be sealed again and the cistern refilled.

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Ecclesiastes 1:2

These are not the words of one who was destitute, or poor, or sick, or abandoned. No, these words were penned by the wealthiest king in the history of Israel, King Solomon. In fact he wrote of himself in Ecclesiastes 2:4-9:

I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well—the delights of the heart of man. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.