Transformational Relationships

As I enter the final months of my term as a superintendent for the United Methodist Church in northwest Iowa I want to stay focused on relationships as the most important aspect of my work.

Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world is the way United Methodists express the mission given to us by Jesus. Transformation is more than just some kind of outer change. A transformation involves a deeper inner evolution into something new. The best illustration from nature is when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.

A transformation of the world begins with the transformation of people. Having a relationship with Jesus means confessing our sins, accepting God’s love, and putting our trust in God. Then we can be transformed from a self centered way of existence to a God centered way of living that seeks to love and care for others. Jesus taught that it is in loving and giving of ourselves for others that we find true life and meaning. It may feel like taking up a cross, but ultimately it will be the way to our greatest joy and fulfillment.  

The ongoing challenge is how to live this out. Every day we are faced with decisions. Even as a follower of Jesus, I am still prone to seek my own will instead of God’s will. I think Jesus understood this struggle. One sentence demonstrates how he overcame it: “not my will but Thine be done.” That is the prayer Jesus offered in the Garden of Gethsemane near the end of his ministry. It also describes the struggle that he faced at the beginning of his ministry when he spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil. Because Jesus put his trust in God, he could then overcome the temptation to do things his own way and instead seek to do God’s will.

That’s a goal for our transformation as well. That we can trust in God and seek God’s will above our own. But since we’re not Jesus, we need relationships with other people to help us sort out our will from God’s will. That is the idea behind our district vision of helping each other to see Jesus and become more like him. That’s also the point behind the “Another Set of Eyes” relationship strengthening tool used by our Pastors and Staff Parish Relations Committees. That is why the one most important question that church leaders are asked at their annual charge conference is, “What is God asking of us now?”

What would a transformed world look like? It will be when people care for one another and seek the wellbeing of the whole and not just themselves. It will be when our relationship with God enables us to love our neighbor as ourselves and even to love our enemies. When people feel loved, they can then love others (1 John 4:18). Trusting that we will ultimately be safe with God enables us to set aside our will for God’s will to be done. But we need relationships to make it happen.

Developing those kind of relationships is the most important thing I can do in the time that I have.