Relationship part 5
Connection and timing. Those two things, more than anything else (except maybe communication, but we'll get to that), define our relationships. And thanks to the timing of the cross we have been equipped and empowered to connect with each other. On the only REAL level that matters. Not surface stuff. Not the insignificant stuff that we use to build walls. Not petty disagreements. Sometimes it seems like we look for reasons to NOT have relationships instead of looking for reasons TO have relationships. And I understand. You get burned, and then you don't want to touch the fire. Even though the fire is what keeps you warm. The fire is what consumes everything but itself. The fire is what purifies us. (And, by the way, that has always been one of my biggest problems with the idea of "hell" as a fiery prison to torment people for eternity. GOD is the consuming fire. And God is not hell. God is love. The fire burns away the chaff, leaving what's good and pure and holy. But I digress.) Let me say it like this, "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone..." (Genesis 2:18). We are, by nature, social creatures. Some more than others, for sure. Some people are social butterflies, and some people feel more comfortable in the coocoon. But it's there for everybody. That desire, that NEED, for real human connection. The problem most people seem to get into is that they look for love in all the wrong places. They try to jump through hoops to earn what they yearn for. And that will never work. Because eternal life--knowing the Father in the context of being His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased--is the GIFT of God. And you can't earn a gift. You earn wages. And according to Romans 6:23, "...the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Jesus came at the appointed time. And He connected us to the source of what we were looking for. He reconciled us back to God. Back to love. By giving His life FOR us, and giving His life TO us. By taking away the sin of the world (unbelief), and giving us something (someONE, Himself, LOVE) to believe in. When we know and believe that we are loved... we CAN love. And that's the level that real relationships are built on. The deep calling out to the deep. Remember the song lyric? What you got if you ain't got love? The kind that you just want to give away... If you ain't got love, you ain't got nothing. And you can't "get" it, because you already have it. You simply have to recieve it. Receive it and release it. Receive it BY releasing it. I taught Logan something very simple, but very powerful, about relationships: If you want to HAVE a friend, you have to BE a friend. You can't wait for someone to give you what you think you need. You have to look inside and see that you already have what you need. Then YOU can give it away. You can share it. You can initiate relationships. You can be all things to all men. You can get past the surface stuff, and stop building walls to isolate yourself. You can start building bridges. You can start building connections. You can love without fear of what might happen. You can BE a friend to anyone you come into contact with. You can be a lighthouse, and shine your light wherever you go. You don't have to wait. Timing. And you don't have to agree on everything (or anything). Connection. You can just... love.