Broken relationships and the choices we make.

We have all experienced in one way or another the issues that come along with broken relationships. What I mean by broken relationships are those connections that we have with people that are fragmented as a result of selfishness, jealousy, anger, etc. If we are honest with ourselves, all of our relationships experience some form of dysfunction as a result of our own brokenness.

 

This week I was invited to discuss this topic with a group of boys in a mentoring program at Oak Park High School. I brought my friends Lucas and Michael along with me to lead the workshop. Lucas and I work together at Restore. Michael grew up in the inner city, and has recently become a follower of Jesus. We had a great discussion talking about the ingredients of healthy relationships and then about the ingredients that make up our broken relationships. We also talked about how our relationships influence the choices we make.

 

We answered these three questions:

• How does my relationship with my parents influence the choices I make?
• How does my relationship with my girlfriend influence the choices I make?
• How does my relationship with my friends influence the choices I make?

We concluded our time with a challenge for us all to take home. We all agreed not to use our broken relationships as an excuse for making poor choices. One of the guys shared that as a result of bad relationships modeled in his family he will not continue the cycle of brokenness but will intentionally reach out to others who may need a friend.

We had a great time with the group and were invited to lead another workshop next month. We are excited to see where this will lead us as we bring the Good News to our schools.