On one level, I am a very easy going, go-with-the-flow kind of guy.  On another, I am spinning a hundred and one emotional plates trying my best to keep them from crashing to the ground.  On some days I am quite pleased with myself and how I have handled the duties of life and on other days... well, not so much.  I automatically console myself with the idea that, if I am handling life well, then God is pleased with me.  Or, as long as other people/friends think that I am doing alright then I feel some peace.  If I am honest with myself, a lot of my self-worth comes from the opinions that other people presumably have of me.  If I feel like the right people approve of me or at least think I'm a good guy/husband/dad then I have some sense of peace.

Relationships are important to me.  If I know of a problem that someone has with me then I want to work it out, and if I can't, then I at least make the effort.  Partly because I want to be a good friend and partly because I want to be liked.  

While relationships are important, the truth of the Gospel sheds a completely different light on them.  I am no stranger to the Gospel, I know Christianity is a relationship with Christ, yet, I am only scratching the surface of this profound mystery.  I can't be a good guy/husband/dad unless I realize my identity is in Christ alone.  His opinion of me is the only one that matters, so I'm free from having to win the approval of others.  His performance is the only performance that was perfect.  Jesus was not just a good guy, he was the best guy.  He lived a perfect life on earth.  Jesus is the ultimate husband. His church is the bride and His Dad officiated the ceremony.  I'm not the bride of Christ, we are the bride of Christ.  You can't have a more intimate relationship with anyone than you can with your spouse and this is the way we are to think of Jesus.  So relationships are important because of the community we have in Christ and we have His approval of us as the bride, not because of the cheap sense of self-worth we might get when we do them right.  I am now free to love without expectations of approval or hope of identity repair.  My peace comes from knowing that my Father is good and He always takes care of his children no matter the circumstances.