ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS REFLECTING A BEAUTIFUL TAPESTRY?
What are your relationships reflecting? I’m hoping to create a beautiful tapestry! If you read my recent blog post, It’s the First Day of Class Again, I shared my love of learning and my current pursuit to obtain a Christian Women’s Leadership Certification. It’s a fulfilling program for women leaders, and I’m learning so much about leadership in relation to intentional living, communication, and relationships. Unique to the coursework is the focus on the importance of creating and maintaining relationships.
Leadership is Rooted in Who We Are
Much like our relationships, our leadership is rooted in who we are. Dr. Rhonda Kelley shared, “Leadership is about being. We are our stories, and we bring those stories with us when we lead.” My passion is to connect women with their stories and empower them in the process. Our stories create change within us and around us.
Owning our stories is significant to our success as a servant leader. A leader is a servant first, placing people and relationships before our agendas.
[bctt tweet=”Leadership is relational, collective, and purposeful. James McGregor Burns” username=”@robinrevispyke”]
The Tapestry of Relationships
Using our stories to connect provides us the opportunity to create beautiful relationships. Linda Clark’s book, 5 Leadership Essentials for Women: Developing Your Ability to Make Things Happen, details the tapestry of relationships:
- We live our lives within the context of relationships
- Relationships come to us in multiple sizes and shapes
- The best relationships are dynamic
- The quality of our relationships change as our lives change
Woven Together
As I considered Linda’s words about the beautiful tapestry created by our relationships, I think of my closest friends, my sisters-in-Christ. Individually, we are much weaker, but when we are woven together, we are much stronger. The threads, hundreds and hundreds of distinct individual threads, are woven together to create a beautiful tapestry just as we were woven together by our Father’s creation.
I imagine the back and forth motion of movement, harmoniously moving in rhythm to create a beautiful work of art. Isn’t this what our relationships are about, a harmonious rhythm creating friendships that will strengthen us and allow for deeper connections?
The Flow of Communication
Our communication does this as well, creating a bond with our sisters-in-Christ. The back and forth flow of communication, which reinforces our relationships. Just as the weaver, we must be present and pay careful attention to our relationships handling them with care, so they do not break. It’s a beautiful process.
Our ability to communicate influences our relationships. Through our communication, we build trust and alliances adding texture to our relationships both personally and professionally.
[bctt tweet=”“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.” Psalm 31: 25-26 (NLT)” username=”@robinrevispyke.net”]
Do your relationships reflect a weaver creating a beautiful tapestry? What relationships are you weaving today? Are you creating relationships of texture and color?
