The recurring lockdowns and government restrictions during COVID cost business owners lots of money and resulted in many headaches. But we also experienced the limitations of science during that time. I’m not speaking of the failed attempts to isolate this virus and neutralize it. I’m speaking of science’s inability to provide answers to the questions that really matter to us, the ones that were being asked more often during the lockdowns. “Why am I here? Where am I going? Is there any purpose to my life?”
You’d think that kids would have thrived during COVID, staying at home with their computers and phones. But those things are only lifeless, inanimate objects. We were created in such a way that we need relationships, many of them all through life. Without friendships and contact with other people, we will spiral down in terms of mental health. And that’s exactly what happened with schools and businesses being closed.
I’m not speaking about the relationships that we have with our pets. Those are special, too, but they can’t take the place of healthy human contact. No wonder solitary confinement is a source of punishment. Even monks who employ the discipline of silence are not alone. At least they enjoy seeing other monks. It has been found that children who don’t get enough human contact and touch often suffer mentally and emotionally as they grow up.
Why are relationships so important to us? As I said, we were made in such a way that we cannot be healthy (physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually) without them. That is part of what it means that people were created in the image of God. “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27) That is what sets humans apart from the animal kingdom. Created in God’s image, we don’t operate by instincts. We can think, mull over different options, and then make a decision about what we will do.
God is One, but He is also Triune. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All are co-eternal and co-equal. No illustration can fully explain the Trinity. It is beyond our imagination how three can be different yet completely equal, but that is the teaching of Scripture.
Some people think that God created the world of animals and people because He was lonely. He was never lonely. He always enjoyed the other two members of the Godhead. That is part of what it means to be created in God’s image, to be relational and enjoy others in our lives. Some personalities thrive with people around and others do better with fewer people, but no one is an island.
A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the ultimate one every person needs, young or old. This is established when you thank Him for dying for your sin, and invite Him to lead the rest of your life. Once you establish this vital relationship with your Creator, then as you read the Bible you will discover your purpose and destination. Regardless of the details surrounding your conception, you were made on purpose for a purpose. You were not an accident in God’s eyes.
But His is not the only relationship that we need. The New Testament instructs us how to live as Christ-followers in our world. In our relationships, we learn how to give and receive encouragement. A person can have all the gizmos in the world and plenty of friends, but if you don’t have Jesus, you don’t have anything. “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26) Put your trust in Jesus today.
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