We’re built to accomplish many great things in life. And it’s easy to dedicate our time and attention to making our unique impact in the world. But this singular focus can leave many other important matters unattended, like our relationships. And we must learn to develop relational awareness even as we pursue God’s call for our life.
Generally speaking, men are good at handling one thing at a time, whereas women are better at juggling multiple things. And men tend to be more concerned about making an impact in the world, while women often stay more tuned into relational dynamics. This can leave us as men laser-focused on our work and calling while remaining out of touch with our relationships.
Relational awareness is simply the practice of keeping our relationships on our radar screen.
For instance, this might be a moment to check in with our wife and kids throughout the day, touching base with a friend, or even tuning into our own souls. Whatever it looks like, it’s simply a point of relational contact that’s not focused on accomplishing our mission.
To be sure, this is not giving up our work. And we might never think about relationships as much as Eve. But we hinder our impact when we remain relationally unaware.
We were created for relationships and staying relationally aware helps us to remember why we work so hard to make an impact in the first place. Our impact is meaningless without a relational context to enjoy it.
And this is also simply part of our duty to love. We cannot love others well without maintaining some level of relational awareness. In fact, we allow the world to grow a bit colder, darker, and lonelier when we do.
In the end, remain diligent in accomplishing the work God has called you to do. And remember to maintain relational awareness along the way. Life is more than just work and we need meaningful relationships to truly thrive.
Photo by Amber Kipp on Unsplash
