Relationships: Like Jesus Does

"[...]Not only are relationships more important than money; they are also more important than tasks.  Jesus' life is filled with encounters that show how he balanced the needs of people and the tasks before him:

• While being pressured to hurry through the crowds to see Jairus's daughter, who was near death, Jesus stops to give a shy woman the opportunity to voice her faith (Mark 5:21-43)
• When the disciples tell some parents that Jesus' schedule won't allow time for their children to be in his presence, Jesus says, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them' (Mark 10:14)
• Jesus and his disciples plan to get away from the crowd, only to have five thousand men meet them at their place of quiet retreat.  As the day gets late, the disciples show Jesus the logic of sending the people away to buy something to eat.  But Jesus says, 'You give them something to eat' (Mark 6:37)
• Jesus' disciples are shocked to find him taking the time to talk to a woman beside a well in Samaria (see John 4), because other teachers in Jesus' day thought themselves too important to speak to women in public.

- Tom Holladay, The Relationship Principles of Jesus (pp. 35-36)

Ask yourself today: How do the choices I make in my life compare to the choices Jesus made in his time on earth?  What do my choices say about how I value relationships?