As long as you are alive, you interact with people in your environment. Whether you’re going to the store or a shopping mall to buy something, during the 5 or 10 minutes you spend there, you interact with people. You might meet someone buying the same item, laugh, share a few jokes, and then never see that person again in your life.

If you’ve ever used a service like Uber, a taxi, or a bus, during the time and distance of your trip, you may have interactions with the driver. Even when you travel by plane—whether for 50 minutes, 45 minutes, or even 10 to 13 hours—regardless of the duration, you have the opportunity to speak with people in a general way. There is no permanent commitment in these relationships; this is the lowest level of relationships—general relationships.

But the truth is, every relationship, no matter how insignificant it may seem, begins at this level. This means that if you are ineffective in managing your general relationships, they won’t be able to grow into higher-level relationships, as I will show you.

The key to maintaining and managing general relationships lies in friendliness, honor, and discernment.

Because there are times when the greatest gifts of your life will come in forms that you might not easily recognize or accept. So, in addition to friendliness and a heart that communicates honor to all people, you must also add discernment.

For example, you meet a young man on the street and ask him for directions. Even though he doesn’t know where you’re from, he is kind. He even walks you all the way to your destination. His behavior touches you so much that you begin to ask him about his background and what he does in life. And soon, this young man—who was unemployed and desperate—finds a job through you. “Relationships are powerful.” So don’t take general relationships for granted.

Now imagine another scenario where that same young man is trying to get into university but hasn’t been successful. On the street, when you asked him for directions, he insulted you and pushed you aside, dishonoring you—without knowing that you were the closest friend of the director who runs the university. A few days later, you see the same young man in the director’s office.

What would you do?

This young man could face unnecessary difficulties for years trying to get admitted because of his lack of respect and honor.

Know this: people may forget what you did to them, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

General relationships—you must learn to be friendly. Being friendly doesn’t mean being a clown who laughs at everything; it means having a warm personality, one that is always open, and then being able to show people honor. Those who understand honor are never stuck in life. And then, discernment—because most of the time, answers to prayer come through people.

God answers prayer not only by sending power but by sending, while you’re praying, a person. That’s when the Spirit of God can tell you that the person coming carries the answer to your prayer.

The answer to your prayer might actually be a person. All blessings come from God through people to people—nothing comes directly from God to a person…

This text is an excerpt from the book “RELATIONSHIPS: FOUNDATIONS FOR PERSONAL SUCCESS” written by KENOU LANDRY HINNOUHO.

We invite you to read the next article: “DESTINY OR COVENANT RELATIONSHIPS.”