by Dr. Froswa Booker-Drew
I have realized that my life is the story of relationships. I have been so blessed because of individuals who took the time to encourage, challenge or support me.
The last few weeks have been reminders of the importance of relationships that matter.
My friends have shown up for me and shown out. They not only tell me how they feel about me, but they demonstrate their desire to see me win. Whether it is text messages and calls to check on me or friends taking their time and talent to host events to feature my work, it has been so wonderful to feel so much love and experience sisterhood.
I am my parents’ only child and although my cousin grew up with me, his mother was always in his life.
Listening to my friends talk about their siblings fascinates me because there are these deep relational ties that cannot be explained that exist between sisters and brothers.
Even as a member of a sorority, I have been blessed by some amazing Sorors who are there for me.
I have been grateful for my best friends from childhood who are still in my life, and they are my sisters on so many levels.
Through good and bad, these women have been there, never giving up on me. They not only offer advice and guidance, but they pray for me.
Their love is not contingent on what I do for them—it is a friendship rooted in deep love, admiration, and respect.
Once again, they, too, show up for me and I do the same for them. It is about reciprocity. I realize that the love I have received is a direct reflection of the love I try to give to others.
God knew that we would face difficult seasons in our lives and that in order to deal with the triumphs as well as the tragedies, we need help from others. Sometimes, this help is not always from our family.
God is always there for us, but God understood the power of relationships with others.
Our success is not solely tied to what we do or know. We can either accelerate our journey with the wisdom, assistance, and direction from others or we can make the process much longer and drawn out when we choose to go at it alone.
“Two people are better than one, because they get more done by working together. If one falls down, the other can help him up. But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls, because no one is there to help. If two lie down together, they will be warm, but a person alone will not be warm,” Ecclesiastes 4:9-11.
In a world that tells us repeatedly that we cannot trust anyone, we are failing to connect to others that can be trusted. As a result, we are missing opportunities that can change our lives and the lives of those around us.
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another,” Proverbs 27:17.
It is through our relationships with one another that we grow, become better and help one another in the process. We need our families and when we are fortunate to have relatives that are friends, it is a blessing!
Yet, God will place others in our path who can love us, too, that are not relatives. Blood relationships are important, but Ruth and Naomi demonstrate what can happen when we choose to allow others into our lives and hearts.
“But Ruth replied: Do not persuade me to leave you or go back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Yahweh punish me, and do so severely, if anything but death separates you and me,” Ruth 1:16-17.
Had Ruth not followed Naomi, she could have missed the opportunity to meet her future husband, Boaz. This also teaches us that those God will use to bless us are not always the same age or have the same background.
Yet, they can be instrumental in our journey if we are willing to go with them.
