To BE is to be Related...

by Pastor Marty

When I was in seminary, I was part of a group of students that spent three months in the country of Zimbabwe. I lived with an African family. The size of this household fluctuated each week depending on the number of relatives who were passing through. Relationships are incredibly important, and sometimes, that is all there is! There is an African proverb that goes like this, “To be is to be related, not to be related is not to be." To say the same thing differently, we exist, we have life only in how we are related and connected to each other.

I bought this piece of sculpture on a street corner just days before we left Zimbabwe. I did not have a lot of cash left so I gave the guy what I had in my pocket along with a great looking umbrella. Try making that kind of deal in Fargo! This sculpture is not expensive, and yet, what it communicates is priceless. There are four individuals in the sculpture. We do not know, however, where life begins or ends in relationship to the other. There is distinction, and yet, there is unity. There are four individuals, and yet, it is one piece of sculpture. Here, life is seen relationally. Reality, at least how I experienced it in Zimbabwe, was defined by how we are connected and related to one another. I am because you are, you are because I am, and we are because Christ IS. 

Imagine, for a moment, that you are writing your autobiography. You might include your family of origin, where you grew up, your childhood, special people in your life, college or vocational calling, unique experiences, if married you would mention your spouse, and if you have kids, you will name them as well. When we write our life story, we end up speaking about the people in our lives. We cannot tell our story without telling stories about others. Moreover, when we imagine our history as a family tree, we see all kinds of branches. It is hard to discern where one branch begins and ends in relationship to all the other branches. We are individuals but it is hard to distinguish where our life exactly begins and ends in relation to other people. For us too, “to be is to be related, not to be related is not to be."   

I was reminded of this truth as I struck a deal with a few dollars and a nice umbrella. The sculpture was not expensive, and yet, what it communicates is priceless. I held it in my arms, like a newly found treasure, for the 16+ hour plane ride back to Minnesota. It has been in my office for twenty-five years reminding me that we are all connected, and we all need each other!

We have learned mightily this truth during this pandemic season. We want to be connected. We want relationships. We want fellowship. We want face-to-face contact. We want to embrace. We want to live in community. We cannot live our lives alone…we need others!

What we have learned this past year…priceless!

-- Pastor Marty

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