Looking Above - Episode 11: Relationship Circles

Looking Above - Episode 11

It's Season 2 of Looking Above and this spring we're taking a deep dive into the realm of spiritual friendships.  Today Karen lays a foundation for why this topic is so needed and then discusses our relationship circles.  This season you're encouraged to grab a couple of friends (or acquaintances you wish were friends) and get together each week to discuss the episode.  We hope that by the end of the next twelve weeks, you're a better friend, and you have better friendships!  Before you meet with your group - You'll need paper and a pen.  Start by making a list of all the people you're in a relationship with - anyone who potentially gets some of your relational energy in a given week (list: family, friends, coworkers, church people, gym people, school people, other acquaintances, neighbors) | On a separate page draw a large bullseye (concentric circles) and begin to place people from your first list onto this diagram as Karen described in the podcast. Bring this with you to your group meeting.

Discussion Questions:

1. How easy or difficult was the exercise for you?
2. Did you feel like you had too many people, or too few people to populate your circles?
3. What did this exercise clarify for you?
4. Do you think circles should/could change over time? (I personally like to revisit this annually)
5. What part does prayer play in discerning who gets placed in your circles?
6. Why is it good to know who is in your circles and who is not?
7. What freedom does this exercise give you concerning those on the periphery?
8. What responsibility does this exercise give you concerning those in your circles?
9. If you're willing to be vulnerable, share how you have misprioritized people and given too much time and energy to people who aren't in your circles.  How has this affected relationships with people in the circles? | Share examples of how you saw Jesus prioritize the people in his circles.
10. Read John 15:12-13 What does it mean to lay down one's life for one's friends? Why is it important to know who your friends are?

The Takeaway: You need to know who is in your circles so you can invest in the right people.

To-Do This Week: Reach out to those in your circles (text, phone call, card) and let them know how important they are to you.