One Relationship at a Time

Today the phone rang, and on the other end was a voice from many miles away—and many years back.

It was a call from dear friends we met more than ten years ago at the very first church Ken and I ever helped build. Hearing their voices again brought back memories of dusty workdays, shared meals, laughter around folding tables, and prayers whispered together in the middle of long days of serving.

That phone call reminded me of something we have learned over and over again through the years:

The Kingdom of God is built one relationship at a time.

Ken and I often tell people that we build buildings and feed people. And in the most literal sense, that’s true. Ken works with lumber, tools, and construction crews. I spend time in kitchens, around tables, and with Bible studies.

But if we are honest about it, the buildings and the meals are only part of the story.

What we are really building are relationships.

Every job site becomes a place where people who may never have met otherwise begin to share life together. Hammers swing, meals are served, and somewhere in the middle of all that work, conversations begin. Stories are told. Faith is shared. Burdens are carried together.

Sometimes those relationships last only for a season.

When a project ends and God calls us to the next place, there is always a moment when we gather one last time, shake hands, share hugs, and prepare to go our separate ways. Those moments are never easy. Serving together creates bonds that run deeper than we often expect.

Over the years we have learned something important about those goodbyes.

We never say goodbye.

Goodbye sounds too permanent.

Instead, we say, “See ya when we see ya.”

Because sometimes, by God’s grace, the road brings us back together again. We meet again at another church project, another camp, or through a phone call like the one we received today. The years may have passed, but the friendship picks up as if no time has gone by.

Other times, we know we may never see those dear friends again on this side of heaven.

When that happens, we smile and say something else:

“See ya in heaven.”

Because for those who belong to Christ, that is not wishful thinking. It is a promise.

Scripture tells us that one day we will stand together before the Lord where every tear is wiped away and every sorrow is gone. In that place, no one will ever have to say, “See ya when we see ya,” because we will have eternity together.

That promise makes the pain of parting easier to carry.

Still, if I am honest, relationships in ministry always carry a measure of heartache. Loving people means opening your heart wide enough to feel the sting when seasons change and paths separate.

Some people might wonder if it would be easier not to build those connections at all. If we kept things polite but distant, maybe it would hurt less when the work ends and the road calls us somewhere new.

But I have never believed that is the better way.

There is an old saying: “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

After all these years of serving, I can say with certainty that those words hold truth.

Our lives are immeasurably richer because of the friends we have met along the road. For every lesson we hoped to share, for every encouragement we tried to give through our relationship with Jesus, those friendships have poured even more back into our own lives.

See ya when we see ya!

We arrived hoping to serve.

Yet somehow we always leave feeling like the ones who were blessed.

Each handshake, each shared meal, each prayer spoken side by side becomes another thread in the beautiful tapestry of relationships God weaves through His Kingdom. Some threads run for a short distance. Others stretch across decades.

But every one of them matters.

Because when relationships are built around Christ and His purposes, they carry a beauty that reaches far beyond the moment.

They are lasting.

They are meaningful.

And they remind us that the Kingdom of God is never built by buildings alone.

It is built through people who love the Lord—and who choose to love one another along the way.

So to the many friends we have met across job sites, church kitchens, dusty roads, and long years of serving together…

Thank you.

You have made this journey richer than we ever imagined.

And whether we see you again down the road, or one day in heaven, we will always be grateful that God allowed our paths to cross.

Until then, as we like to say—

See ya when we see ya.

Lord, thank You for the friendships You bring into our lives along the road of serving You. Thank You for the people who labor beside us, laugh with us, pray with us, and help carry the work of Your Kingdom forward.

Help us treasure the relationships You place in our path, whether they last for a short season or a lifetime. When it is time to part and go where You call next, give us grateful hearts for the time we shared and peace in knowing that every friendship formed in You is never truly lost.

And Lord, remind us that one day we will stand together before You, where no one will ever have to say goodbye again. Until that day, help us keep building Your Kingdom—one relationship at a time.

Amen.