foreverbluesky
01-20-2004, 01:35 PM
This I know….
In reflecting on relationship I have been thinking of how we are sometimes discouraged in the ‘church’ to put too much emphasis on the romantic love relationship between ourselves and the other person in our life. Even as married people we are often instructed to not expect much from the other and to look to God, not to them to meet our needs…While I realize that it is certainly true that no man or woman can fulfill every need and desire, I wonder if we are missing something very relevant in the marriage relationship.
From the beginning of creation God chose by his sovereign act to be reflected in the life of a man and a woman. Adam was complete in God until god chose to take woman out of him. At that point Adam was left with something missing. God chose the family to reflect his glory and design. As a small example, He used the compassion and nurturing characteristics of the woman to reflect the compassion and nurturing of the Holy Spirit. In the same way, he used the man to reflect the leadership and servant hood characteristics of the Father.
In the Song of Solomon, the Bible is extremely explicit and speaks of an intense physical longing and emotional connection between the subject and his lover. Knowing this is a word picture of the passion God has for his bride leads me to conclude that the love of God is most clearly demonstrated in this life in a love relationship between a man and a woman. So the passion, longing and connection that we all seek was intended to be ‘fleshed’ out in a relationship between humans to show us on a practical level the intensity of the emotion God has for us. So instead of attempting to control or squelch these needs, I believe it is the will of God to have these needs met through a romantic relationship yet with both parties understanding the frailty of the human condition. Knowing that we see through a glass darkly and can only get a glimpse until that day when we see face to face.
A relationship that reflects the love Christ has for his bride should be our goal, anything less is helping to propagate the lie that God is a taskmaster in the sky and we are his slaves. Lovers we are, not slaves. No one has to force someone to serve their lover or to honor them, it is pure instinct. A knee-jerk reaction to an unconditional, irrational, love shown on the part of the one they adore. I believe God has called women to respond to the love they sense from their husband, their lover, who lays his life down for her and seeks her highest good in every situation. I refuse to believe this is unattainable.
In reflecting on relationship I have been thinking of how we are sometimes discouraged in the ‘church’ to put too much emphasis on the romantic love relationship between ourselves and the other person in our life. Even as married people we are often instructed to not expect much from the other and to look to God, not to them to meet our needs…While I realize that it is certainly true that no man or woman can fulfill every need and desire, I wonder if we are missing something very relevant in the marriage relationship.
From the beginning of creation God chose by his sovereign act to be reflected in the life of a man and a woman. Adam was complete in God until god chose to take woman out of him. At that point Adam was left with something missing. God chose the family to reflect his glory and design. As a small example, He used the compassion and nurturing characteristics of the woman to reflect the compassion and nurturing of the Holy Spirit. In the same way, he used the man to reflect the leadership and servant hood characteristics of the Father.
In the Song of Solomon, the Bible is extremely explicit and speaks of an intense physical longing and emotional connection between the subject and his lover. Knowing this is a word picture of the passion God has for his bride leads me to conclude that the love of God is most clearly demonstrated in this life in a love relationship between a man and a woman. So the passion, longing and connection that we all seek was intended to be ‘fleshed’ out in a relationship between humans to show us on a practical level the intensity of the emotion God has for us. So instead of attempting to control or squelch these needs, I believe it is the will of God to have these needs met through a romantic relationship yet with both parties understanding the frailty of the human condition. Knowing that we see through a glass darkly and can only get a glimpse until that day when we see face to face.
A relationship that reflects the love Christ has for his bride should be our goal, anything less is helping to propagate the lie that God is a taskmaster in the sky and we are his slaves. Lovers we are, not slaves. No one has to force someone to serve their lover or to honor them, it is pure instinct. A knee-jerk reaction to an unconditional, irrational, love shown on the part of the one they adore. I believe God has called women to respond to the love they sense from their husband, their lover, who lays his life down for her and seeks her highest good in every situation. I refuse to believe this is unattainable.