Relationship

we are a world starved
desperately craving
relationship

it's not all bad
in fact, it can be really good
we were created for relationship

but it's not all good either...
because we are starving
we often settle
we settle for some one who doesn't point us to christ
the thing that we are truly longing for the most
and the only one who can truly fulfill us
or we settle into thinking that we can fix that other person's problems
and be enough for them
we can't.
and sometimes, we settle into thinking that no one can ever love us
because we're too messed up for that
wrong thinking leads to a bad view of relationships
that doesn't give them their proper value, or see them in the right framework.

we waste our hours away on "the quest"
looking for the right, perfect one
or stalking who we think is the right perfect one on the facebook
we think "maybe this is the one" all the time and miss the moment and the opportunity that the lord has for us at the unfolding of each new day

does such a one exist?
right? I would say yes. we were created to have only one relationship, one man, one woman. (beautifully, this reflects the gospel-of Christ and his church)
perfect? I would say no (however, while they won't be perfect, i also think it is extremely valuable to evaluate the character of a potential mate)

I thought about all of this tonight as I was looking at something that has entertained me greatly over the last several weeks...
it is something called "missed connections" on craigslist, where people post about their random crush sightings
and call out desperately for that person who they missed a chance to talk to, or take the next step with
hoping they will respond saying they feel the same way

i would say that the missed connections list reflects a bigger problem...
we are crying and calling for what humans can't fulfill
yet, we were created to need other people
this desire though, reflects a greater need in us...
that we need god in a deep deep way
as isaiah 54:5 says "For your Maker is your husband-the LORD Almighty is his name"
we were created to have an eternal relationship with God, that is meant to impact and shape every facet of the way we interact with and relate to other human beings

Adam was made in God's image in the garden, meant to reflect the very character and nature of God
His wife, Eve, was made from his very body...bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh
She was fashioned from the first man (ie. from God's image) into one who could be united to Adam, as he was united to God
the two were meant to be united together, and together to have a right relationship with God

obviously, Adam and Eve didn't get it right.
They fell, hence the plight of mankind.
But as discussed earlier, there is great hope, Christ has come to make the relationship between mankind and God right
As his children we can be reunited with him
we don't have to long anymore

...after that rambling diatribe, back to my original topic, which is nonetheless intricately tied to the creation relationship theme
in light of all of this...what does it mean to have a good, balanced
give and take relationship?

i believe it is one
that involves sexual desire, sacrifice, oneness, and beauty.
i think it is only best seen within the confines of marriage.
it involves a unity that cannot and should not be broken.
the give and take don't have to be mutually exclusive either, i think
the giver gets (takes) joy just from giving to the receiver
the receiver takes joy in the gift, and wants to give back to the giver
it becomes a wonderful cycle of love...
putting the other before oneself
and in return, getting a great kind of affection...

all of this only works when christ is the focus of the relationship.
but as humans still struggling with the sinful nature, that can be really hard to maintain.

further, the husband clearly has a different role in the relationship than the wife,
but both are called to love each other in a putting the other first sort of way, although i think it plays out slightly differently for each sex (in a biblical context)
but this topic we can save for another day

these are some of my ramblings; what thoughts do others have on this topic?