Human Connection: The Importance of Relationships

At some point in all of our lives, we all struggle with loneliness. I’ve had those times where I didn’t really feel that human connection to anyone. I’ve also had times in my life where I’ve had what I considered many close friends. We need to have that kind of connection to others to have balance in our lives.

People Need People

Why do we need connections to other people? By our very nature, we are social creatures. First, there are two scriptures that I will point to on this.

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
— Genesis 2:18 (NIV)

This passage is from the story of creation from the Bible. From the moment that God created man, He put in us a desire for companionship. There are many schools of thought on this, but the most common is that this is an intrinsic part of our nature due to being made in God’s image and that He created us for his companionship.

We also need relationships to help us get through the troubles of life.

Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
— Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NIV)

The relationships in our lives should build us up and make us stronger than we are individually. We should help each other in difficult times and celebrate together in our victories in life. Without having relationships in our lives, we face a greater risk of failure as well as risk not reaching our full potential.

Embrace Healthy Human Connection

We should all strive to build healthy relationships with others. You don’t have to have a huge army of people who are close to you. Even just a few really close relationships will help you get through life. I’m not suggesting that you become a hermit outside of one or two relationships. But I also think that every one needs to decide for themselves what the best relationships are in their own lives.

Teaser: Next time we’ll take a look at the dark side of relationships.