I heard eight-year-old John talking in the back seat of the car last week on the way home from school. Looking in the rear view mirror, I saw him pretending to talk on a cell phone and his side of the conversation went like this: “Hey Sanna. How have you been doing? We are doing fine here. I sure hope things are going well in Sweden. Take care! Bye.”
I laughed to myself and marveled at the meaning of this imaginary phone call. John went with us to Sweden this past summer. It was his first time on an airplane and he was quick to strike up a conversation with any stranger he happened to meet. On one leg of the journey he sat next to a business man from South Korea who spoke little English. But the language barrier does not deter a child. Soon John and his new friend were playing a card game and having a great time… at least John was 
.
Of all the people we met at the Youth With A Mission base in Sweden, Sanna became John’s best friend. Sanna lives in a nearby village and has to ride a bus a couple of hours to reach the base. She is probably in her thirties and has experienced some difficult trials in her life. She volunteers with YWAM, and the missionaries pour out God’s love on her. She in turn poured out God’s love on John. She treated him as an honored guest and played with him with great energy. I could tell when we departed that the adult and the child would truly miss each other. But I guess I didn’t know that ‘conversations’ would still be taking place almost three months later.
Our team got to help the missionaries with some practical things. We accomplished several work projects and each person, including John, pitched in and did his or her share. Often God allows relationships to be the highlight of mission trips. God loves to build relationships! His first priority is to develop a deep relationship with each of his children. He treasures this far above any knowledge or skills we may possess. He knows each of us intimately and He wants us to know him in like manner. “Come spend time with me. Sit at my feet and learn of me and you will see I am gentle and humble in spirit. Don’t just know me as a distant God who has all power and wisdom; know me as Father God who created you and who cares for you with unfathomable love.”
God’s second priority is that we develop deep relationships with one another. “Do you really know your brother? Do you really love your sister? Do you really care for your neighbor? Suppose a person wants to honor me by giving a generous offering; I want that person to lay the gift aside until any conflict is resolved with a brother or sister. I want my children to love one another. Strong relationships please me far more than you can imagine.”
When Paul wrote letters to the early Christians, he often called individuals by name whom he had come to love in the course of his journey. “Greet Philogus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.” (Romans 16:15) We often skip over such parts of the Bible, but God might want us to know that such communication is dear to his heart.
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your , with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)