Relationship part 2
I think the biggest relationship killer in the world is when we try to get someone to be who we want them to be, instead of letting them be who they are. Instead of LOVING them FOR who they are. I think disappointment always follows this kind of unrealistic expectation. We want someone to be someone they aren't. That's a receipe for disaster. Doomed to fail. Because, at the end of the day, we are who we are. Or, I should say, we are who we believe we are. That's why what Jesus did is so important. Jesus--the light of the world--shined the light of the world on us and showed us who we REALLY are. And who we really are... is the light of the world. As He is, so are we in this world. See, Jesus is not a window showing us who we can be if we try really hard and straighten up and fly right. Jesus is the mirror who shows us who we really are. And when we know who we really are, we can stop trying to be someone we're not. We can stop expecting other people to know who THEY aren't. When we know that we are unconditionally loved by our heavenly Father... we can love others unconditionally. We can have relationships with people without expecting things from them. Without needing things from them. There's a saying from a movie that I like. It goes like this, "It's only after you've lost everything that you're free to do anything." I like that because it points to the truth that when there's nothing holding you back you can fly as high as the eagle. But it's not 100% accurate. Because the truth of the matter is, "It's only after you realize that you have everything, that you'll stop trying to get anything." And that's the ultimate truth of the universe. The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hand. He did it all so we could get it all. And now we have it all. We have been blessed with all Spiritual blessings. We have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness. We have been filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit. The love receptor. The Spirit of truth that leads and guides us into all truth. The truth that we ARE loved. And, when we know and believe that truth... remember, we are who we believe we are. When we believe we are loved... we are love. We CAN love. And that's the only way to be in a real relationship with someone. Relationship comes down to connection and timing. And the only thing that can connect on us the level that we need to connect... is love. It's all about love. But love isn't about getting. It's about giving--or sharing--what we've got. If you're in a relationship because of what you think (or hope) you can get out of it, then you've missed the entire point. But if you're in a relationship in order to share what you've got, with no expectations, that's when things get real. That's when you can experience real intimacy. When you can go deeper than the surface stuff, and get into that real connection. That real bond. And, listen, I know that can be scary. Opening yourself up and being vulnerable. But that's what we're going to talk about tomorrow.