Seeking Jesus First See. 12, 2025
Heart Connections before Heart Corrections
Have you considered that every relationship has a relationship bridge? It starts with two people building connection. Each person starts from either side of their “difference gap”. They begin to build a passageway between themselves with each conversation and interaction. Picture yourself and a future friend standing across from each other with a gorge between you. It is like you are both standing on the edge of a cliff. It can be kind of scary, but one of you throws a ball of string across. The other attaches the end of the string to rope and you pull it back across and tie it off. This continues until there is a “rope bridge” relationship built. You can walk across and bring small gifts, but you don’t want to carry anything heavy across. Many things can shake that relationship. However, over time and with trust, the two of you build a great big eight lane highway across and nothing short of a huge earthquake can shake it. You can drive a tank across that bridge and your friend trusts you.
Trusted leaders receive a boost in this bridge because of their reputation, history and endorsements. However, the word, “leader”, does not always come with the adjective “trusted”. Leaders must build trust and relationship. Respect is not demanded. Respect is earned. Bringing correction to someone that you have no relationship bridge with can be very precarious. It is one thing to be a preacher or teacher and share from Scripture to the congregation. It is another thing to go to someone and speak to them about things that you believe need to be changed in their life. The heart connection precedes a heart correction. We may correct someone based upon outward appearances, but if we have a heart connection, their heart can receive the correction. When the heart is engaged, faith goes into action and the soul is activated.
It is said, “People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” I believe there is quite a bit of truth in this statement. “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:11–16, NKJV)
“Speaking the truth in love, we may grow up…”
“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, YOU WHO ARE SPIRITUAL restore such a one in a SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:1–2, NKJV)