Genesis 2: 21 - 23 NKJV
I have a friend who, when it comes to the subject of how he met his wife of over fifty years, will claim that he knew almost instantly that this was the girl for him. Well, fifty years later it seems that his forsight has proven correct. When I asked him once what the secret of success in his marriage was he said simply "divorce was never a option." So, it is with the story of this successful union that I delve into the subject of christian courtship and dating. Well, I suppose that I could simply apply these thoughts to every male/female social interaction as well. By infering the word "christian" we often hope to infer all that is well and good and right about our subject. See, this is how it used to be, back in a more civilized time. Back when my mom and dad first met there was no plenty of fish or match.com to guide two people into meeting each other. No, we were left to our own devices. Of course, this meant that two people who were attracted to each other actually had to talk and interact with each other. I don't think that I'm too far off base when I say that this is how our heavenly Father intended it to be. I don't feel that we were destined to hide behind a keyboard in our search for a mate. That's way too easy. See, relationships take time and they take effort. My same friend who claims that divorce was never a option will also tell me that it hasn't always been smiles and sunshine in his own relationship with his lovely wife. I'm guessing that it's this that scares most people away from actual relationship with another. I mean, who wants to put effort into something we might never see the rewards of, right? For me, the hardest part is communication. I'll admit that I have gotten better over time, but what scared the living hell out of me was the fact that I would actually need to converse with someone of the opposite sex. What if she didn't like me? What if she thought I was a geek? Well, there have been many people who have thought many things about me over the years, true and untrue. The thing is, it is this fear of how someone would see me that usually kept me from engaging in relationships with others. I was much safer in my own little world all too myself. The trouble with that is, I was all alone. Sure, I had my friends, but as for relationships with others I was lacking. I'm thinking that this isn't how God wanted it to be.
6For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5: 6 - 8 NKJV
One thing that I am glad for is that Jesus doesn't take the same view of starting relationships that I do. For if He did I might never have known Him as I do. Jesus never worries about how others might see Him. Jesus never worries about wasted efforts in a relationship. The only thought in His mind is bringing us into union with Him {John 17:21}. He doesn't hesitate in His desires. Wait, if that's true then why does it take so damn long for someone to come to that realization of their own relationship with Christ? Well, have you ever given up on a pursuing a relationship simply because you thought the other person wasn't interested? That's kind of like our own relationship with Jesus. It isn't Christ who has passed us by but we who have failed to realize who He truly is. See, Jesus doesn't toss us aside simply because we may feel we're not worthy of His love. This is us failing to realize the true nature of Jesus. For it is His desire that we would come to know Him. It is His desire that we would come to know that it is He who dwells in us {Galations 2:20}. This is the essence of our relationship with Jesus. We were never meant to share a long distance relationship with Him. As with our human long didtance relationships, they rarely work out too well. All too often we take what we've learned from our human relationships and paste them upon our relationship with Christ. Bad move. Our own human relationships are speckled with anger, doubt and distrust. Thes are the wrong things to bring into a union with Jesus. For the longest time I could not realize a personal relationship with Him because of my own relationship failings. I carried that over into my interaction with Jesus. As a result, I failed to see just how much He desired to know me. Of course, it is the desire of Jesus to know each and every one of us. Our relationship with Jesus is like no other relationship we've ever had. One void of all that is negative. A relationship where all we have is His love for us. Not as two...but as one.
20“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, jthat they may be one just as We are one: 23“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."
John 17: 20 - 23 NKJV
~Scott~
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