To Inspire:

Ella & Ava Huelskamp

Grab a pen and paper or open a blank note on your phone if you’re reading this on a computer. As you read, I want you to answer the questions throughout or at least keep mental notes. I answered these exact questions in my Notes app on February 1, 2025, during a church service where my pastor walked us through the “Realm of Relationships.”

This sermon he delivered was to help us understand that there are 4 different groups to categorize your relationships in. These are relationships with friends, family, co-workers, significant others, etc. By truly thinking about each relationship of yours and where they fall in these realms, it will help you to pursue relationships you maybe haven’t yet, understand where certain relationships may be lacking or may be flourishing, and how to not let social media affect these categories.

The first category is your CORE. This circle of people has the most power to impact how you feel. You show them unconditional love, and they’ll always know you the best. You let them see a part of yourself that not a lot of people get to see. Think of 3-5 or more people that you categorize as your core (and do this for each of the rest of the categories below). The important lesson with this group is that you stop letting the relationships in your core go undefined. If you never tell these people where they stand, love will never go deeper than it already is. I sent each of these people a text after church explaining to them the sermon and how I consider them to be in my core.

The second category is your CIRCLE. These are your day-to-day relationships, most likely some family members. These people know who you are and what you’re capable of. They want way more for you than you want for yourself.

The third category is COMMUNITY. They’re a little further out but still provide stability. They’re a growing group of people who you can’t be with all the time but favor their company.

The last category is CROWD. “Take them or leave them” is exactly what I wrote in my note’s app for this group. Their impact on your heart is lower. They’re available but not endlessly available. There is not a proactive investment. You’re still waiting to see what God does with them in your life. My pastor made a point to not treat social media like the crowd that it is. Online world is a crowd that we need to reserve for our core. We cannot expect the online crowd to fill us up.

Now, take a look at your four groups.

Are there people in your community who have the potential to move into your circle? Or maybe even your core? What steps could you take to intentionally pursue those relationships?

Most importantly: Do the people in your core actually know they’re in your core?

A few months after that sermon, it was my sister Ava’s birthday, and I decided to write about this in her card. She teared up reading it, and it meant so much to both of us to share how deeply I value our relationship. Don’t leave those words unsaid.

Written by Ella Huelskamp, Summer Marketing Intern