Good Friday Musing: Relationships

"All men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider His doing. The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory." - Psalm 64:9-10

Growing up Catholic, Good Friday has always been a holy day to me. It is a day to reflect on what Jesus did to reconcile us to the Father. Normally for me, it is a day to hole up in a room and spend time in the Word and prayer. I did some of that today, but today was more about my relationships with people. I started my day having breakfast with some of the WGO missionaries that work in our El Hatillo mission house. I don't get to see them very often, and really enjoyed spending time with three short-term missionaries and a long-term couple. I then stopped by and visited two other co-missionaries that were staying in the same hotel where I am taking a mini-vacation. Although somewhat brief, I enjoyed my time talking with each of them. By God's divine providence, I got a random phone call from my roommate who was also at the hotel. She did not know which room I was in, but found me in her attempt to call the front desk. After that, I was invited to join some other co-missionaries for lunch who were coming into the city for the day. The day culminated in a Good Friday service at my church, where I had a brief time of fellowship with my local church family.

Good Friday is usually a day I spend alone. As I look back on today and how different it was from previous years, I cannot help but think about how most of Jesus' life on earth was about his relationships with people: His disciples, the sick, the lame, the demonized, the sinners. Yes, Jesus needed time alone to commune with His Father, but the majority of His time was spent with people. It was out of His love for people that He took on flesh, became like us but without sin, and suffered a horribly brutal death. Why? Because without it, we were separated from God by sin. But He loved us so much, that He paid the penalty for our sins, redeeming those who trust in Him and restoring our relationship with God. Relationships are very important to God. I am an introvert by nature, but I was blessed by my time with people today. Sometimes in the busyness of life, we forget the things that are most important in life. As this holy week draws to an end, my prayer is that I will enter into the last quarter of the school year with my relationships with people as a priority. Jesus loved people and spent extraordinary amounts of time with them. We as Christians are commanded to love one another. The best way to do that is by spending time with each other.