1 John 4

I'm in a blogging kind of mood today.

You know what I find completely ironic about people, American culture in particular? We are so centered on relationships- our lives are defined by the relationships we have, the interactions we have with the people around us, yet so many people miss out on the biggest, most fulfilling, amazing relationship they could ever have in their lifetime. Instead, energies are spent pursuing romantic relationships driven by lust which, in the end, leave nothing but emptiness.

Our music, literature, movies, and TV are all centered mainly around romantic love, with smatterings of relationships with family, friends, and even strangers. The problem is, none of these forms of love can satisfy you on their own. God's love is unconditional, eternal, and so, so deep; it's nothing like any earthly love you've ever experienced. This is why the love we experience with God has a different translation in Greek from other types of love; in Greek God's love is associated with the word agape.

There is so much pressure from the world to find that "perfect person" for you, and we sing along to songs about heartbreak and replacing that old boyfriend with the new one. I've tried to find that guy over the past couple of years, and I've reached the point where I'm completely satisfied with God's love without needing a guy to make me happy too. The biggest problem with my failed attempts at relationships is I didn't let God find the guy for me. Instead, I would try to handle them on my own, and when I did I fell flat on my face.

From now on, the plan is to not pursue a romantic relationship but to pray about it instead; if God wants me to have a husband someday, He'll bring us together. There's no point in looking for frivolous, surfacey (if that's a word) relationships with no future, because I know that's all I will find if I search for eros apart from agape.

Do you find yourself fantasizing about that perfect guy or that perfect girl they sing about in your favorite song or portray in your favorite movie? God wants your relationship even more than you want that one. He's the one running across the airport, wanting to stop you from boarding that plane that takes you to a life that in your heart you don't truly want to live. Let him romance you first, then He'll show you your other half, the person He made for you to spend the rest of your life with.