Relationships. Cliques. Dating relationships. Difficult relationships. Passion for others. What we say matters. Our walk with God. Parental relationships. Healthy relationships. Our relationship with our pastor. The topics just mentioned are a few we have examined over the last two and a half years of writing articles on relationships. When I began writing about this subject in January 2015, I was worried I would not have enough material to make it very far. I look back and realize this subject has barely been introduced. Much more can be written about relationships.

Consider the first paragraph of my first article from January 2015: “We were created for relationships. They are not optional. Our lives are spent around and within relationships. Children are in a relationship with parents, maybe even siblings; students are in a relationship with teachers and fellow students; employees are in a relationship with bosses and co-workers. We develop close friendships and someday we may find someone with whom we will fall deeply in love. As we age, we discover the undeniable truth that everything important in life revolves around relationships.”

I believe in the power of writing. Once you put something in writing, it’s always there—especially in this digital age. I could write an entire article about being careful what you put in writing, because “ink doesn’t lie!” But that’s not my purpose. It has been an intriguing experience getting to write for Inside Out magazine all this time. I give honor to Rev. L. J. Harry and the entire InsideOut team who make this online magazine accessible to all our Apostolic readers. And thank you to the readers who have given encouraging and insightful feedback along the way!

As life’s responsibilities grow, I have had to make the tough decision to end my time as a regular contributor for InsideOut. It is my hope that these articles on relationships have tickled your interest and caused you to think about the quality of the many different relationships in your own life. I have enjoyed getting to write and will always be grateful for this opportunity.

Always remember this, we don’t get to choose IF we will participate in relationships, but we do determine HOW we will handle them. Will you help or hinder the relationships that come into your life? Famous author and speaker, Dr. Gary Smalley, summed it up best: “Life is just relationships; the rest is just details.”

Thanks for reading!

Chad Flowers is married to his best friend and teammate, Mendy. He’s a daddy to two incredible little girls, Jadyn and Keira, and one son, Chandler. He lives in Mesquite, Texas where he has a private practice as a licensed professional counselor and serves as pastor of Emmanuel Pentecostal Church. Since 2015, he has been a regular contributor to InsideOut