Intentional Relationships

Relationships don't flourish by accident. If we desire deep, meaningful relationships with others we must be intentional. It's a frequent occurrence that old friends fall away over time and new friends are made. This phenomenon reflects our level of intentional investment as we relate to other people.

As we reduce the amount of intentional effort we put forward in relating to others, those relationships atrophy, eventually wither, and die. When we increase the amount of intentional time and effort we expend on relationships, they grow and flourish.

The difficult part is that we simply can't invest in everything and everyone. We have to choose what we make time for and how we spend that time. This causes us to pick and choose who we invest in and who we don't, which leads us to the conclusion that some people just aren't as relationally important as others - they don't mean as much. That's tough to stomach.

How about a different perspective. If we invested in building intentional relationships with people that aren't as invested as we are, what would the end result be? Our relationships wouldn't be as vibrant, deep, or meaningful, and we would actually be an impediment to our counterparts enjoying vibrant, deep, and meaningful relationships.

It's OK to intentionally invest in what produces the best return on investment, even in relationships. The tricky part is defining what constitutes best return on investment.