Relationships are more Important
Listening to:
"The Good Stuff"
"The Good Stuff"
Do you remember the first time a crush called you on the phone? And not texted you, or Facebook messaged you, or liked your picture on instagram, or sent you a meme (whatever that is!), but called you. On your parents land line. Oh the excitement. Oh the rush.
I remember one such call. I was in the 5th grade and had a huge crush on this boy who had just moved back to the US after living abroad with his family as missionaries. I thought he was the dreamiest. I mean remember when basketball shorts and jordans were just the bees knees(and he loved Jesus and African orphans)! I don't remember quite how I found out, but news had arrived that he was going to call me one night at my parents house. So I went home after school and got ready, I mean full on primped for a phone call! (And there wasn't even a chance of having a frightful accidental FaceTime!) I re-crimped my hair, brushed my teeth and changed out my sweet colored tube socks. Breathlessly I waited on the fireplace in my parent's living room for that shrill trill to pierce the air.
When it did my face lit up with anticipation and embarrassment as my dad did his best intimidation, Terminator-style voice before handing the receiver to me. After about two minutes my face flushed, I threw the phone as girls' giggling hit the ground hard. I ran to my room in tears. It turns out my first phone call was nothing more than a cruel prank by girlfriends. Sweet missionary boy didn't quite reciprocate my crush.
Ugh what a story. I know every one's inner 5th grader is crying with me right now. The truth is at any age relationships can be devastating, much more destructive than a prank phone call. They can be the wind that whips through your life, leaving behind serious tornado damage. Personally I have experienced my fair share of relational wreckage. At many times I have retreated from further entanglement with other people, fearing that my little refugee bag couldn't tote around much more. But this last year God has been teaching me something. Something so profound that it has changed the way I view myself, and certainly the way I view others.
Despite the fact that vulnerability towards others may result in the most pain you ever experience, it also can result in the most pleasure and joy. Relationships rock your world. And that's no accident; their ability to both sustain and deplete us is at the heartbeat of our very existence.
The picture painted of creation in Genesis is one of the most fantastic stories ever told. The imagination, the suspense and the imagery is astounding. God is roaming around a gigantic realm of universe that is completely unformed, a foggy nebulous hillside, when he is struck with creative genius. He spends the next few days creating all the things we enjoy and adore about this earth: spectacular sunrises, starry skies, mountains, oceans, whales, hippos, kale, bumble bees, honey and every other creature, natural phenomenon and vegetation imaginable. He stops and surveys all of this splendor and beauty and decides it needs one more thing. A kindred spirit. A friend to share it with. A relationship.
IN THE beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth. God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness. So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.
(Gen 1:26, 27)
I always have to pause here to really take in the size and weight of that idea. God wanted relationship and so he made me? In His very own image He created a human being to just enjoy day to day life with. The next part is what truly astounds me,
Then the Lord God said, "It’s not good that the human is alone. I will make him a helper that is perfect for him."
(Gen 2:18)
So here is God, this larger than universe, incomprehensible being that just created the entirety of reality as we know it, and he wanted companionship. So he creates a human. Truthfully God could have called it quits then. He could have hung up his artist smock, washed His brushes and spent the rest of eternity enjoying the masterpiece of creation with Adam.
But He doesn't. He loves his relationship with Adam so much, and He loves Adam even more, so he decides the only thing to do is make more relationships.
Are you starting to see how intricately woven relationships are to your being? I believe this is why despite the knife sharp edge that all relationships pose, we continue to crave them and seek them out. I love the idea that God loves relationships. That He loves them so much He created humanity simply to revel in them and even then he desired more for us, for him. I liken it to a grandparent. Even after one's own family and lifetime leaves a trail of wrinkles and gray hair the greatest joy comes from more children being created and watching that new parent and child relationship unfold.
The human heartbeat is comprised of two parts: the lub-dub that we're all familiar with. It's the noise that we hear while in womb and the one that we seek out for comfort when we place our heads on the chest of another. Lub- dub, lub-dub, lub-dub.
The noise is formed from the opening and closing of valves pushing blood through the fascinating machine of our hearts. The first pitch, the lub, comes from the beginning, the initiation of the ventricular systole, blood rushing in. The dub comes from the short snap of closure in the aortic and pulmonary vanes as blood is pumped outward. Even our heartbeats are a reminder that we exist for relationship. Upward, outward. Upward, outward. Upward, outward.
The reality of engaging in broken human relationships is there will be turbulence. You will have to open yourself up to the potential collateral damage. But isolating yourself from relationships is as noxious for your soul as oxygen deprivation is for your heart.
Today I rejoice in relationship with the Lord! I rejoice that He has given me the opportunity to experience more relationship. Despite the hurt, despite the stumbles, I rejoice for the hope of my relationships echoing the heartbeat of our creator. Upward, outward. Grace, mercy. Love, acceptance.
I remember one such call. I was in the 5th grade and had a huge crush on this boy who had just moved back to the US after living abroad with his family as missionaries. I thought he was the dreamiest. I mean remember when basketball shorts and jordans were just the bees knees(and he loved Jesus and African orphans)! I don't remember quite how I found out, but news had arrived that he was going to call me one night at my parents house. So I went home after school and got ready, I mean full on primped for a phone call! (And there wasn't even a chance of having a frightful accidental FaceTime!) I re-crimped my hair, brushed my teeth and changed out my sweet colored tube socks. Breathlessly I waited on the fireplace in my parent's living room for that shrill trill to pierce the air.
When it did my face lit up with anticipation and embarrassment as my dad did his best intimidation, Terminator-style voice before handing the receiver to me. After about two minutes my face flushed, I threw the phone as girls' giggling hit the ground hard. I ran to my room in tears. It turns out my first phone call was nothing more than a cruel prank by girlfriends. Sweet missionary boy didn't quite reciprocate my crush.
Ugh what a story. I know every one's inner 5th grader is crying with me right now. The truth is at any age relationships can be devastating, much more destructive than a prank phone call. They can be the wind that whips through your life, leaving behind serious tornado damage. Personally I have experienced my fair share of relational wreckage. At many times I have retreated from further entanglement with other people, fearing that my little refugee bag couldn't tote around much more. But this last year God has been teaching me something. Something so profound that it has changed the way I view myself, and certainly the way I view others.
Despite the fact that vulnerability towards others may result in the most pain you ever experience, it also can result in the most pleasure and joy. Relationships rock your world. And that's no accident; their ability to both sustain and deplete us is at the heartbeat of our very existence.
The picture painted of creation in Genesis is one of the most fantastic stories ever told. The imagination, the suspense and the imagery is astounding. God is roaming around a gigantic realm of universe that is completely unformed, a foggy nebulous hillside, when he is struck with creative genius. He spends the next few days creating all the things we enjoy and adore about this earth: spectacular sunrises, starry skies, mountains, oceans, whales, hippos, kale, bumble bees, honey and every other creature, natural phenomenon and vegetation imaginable. He stops and surveys all of this splendor and beauty and decides it needs one more thing. A kindred spirit. A friend to share it with. A relationship.
IN THE beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth. God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness. So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.
(Gen 1:26, 27)
I always have to pause here to really take in the size and weight of that idea. God wanted relationship and so he made me? In His very own image He created a human being to just enjoy day to day life with. The next part is what truly astounds me,
Then the Lord God said, "It’s not good that the human is alone. I will make him a helper that is perfect for him."
(Gen 2:18)
So here is God, this larger than universe, incomprehensible being that just created the entirety of reality as we know it, and he wanted companionship. So he creates a human. Truthfully God could have called it quits then. He could have hung up his artist smock, washed His brushes and spent the rest of eternity enjoying the masterpiece of creation with Adam.
But He doesn't. He loves his relationship with Adam so much, and He loves Adam even more, so he decides the only thing to do is make more relationships.
Are you starting to see how intricately woven relationships are to your being? I believe this is why despite the knife sharp edge that all relationships pose, we continue to crave them and seek them out. I love the idea that God loves relationships. That He loves them so much He created humanity simply to revel in them and even then he desired more for us, for him. I liken it to a grandparent. Even after one's own family and lifetime leaves a trail of wrinkles and gray hair the greatest joy comes from more children being created and watching that new parent and child relationship unfold.
The human heartbeat is comprised of two parts: the lub-dub that we're all familiar with. It's the noise that we hear while in womb and the one that we seek out for comfort when we place our heads on the chest of another. Lub- dub, lub-dub, lub-dub.
The noise is formed from the opening and closing of valves pushing blood through the fascinating machine of our hearts. The first pitch, the lub, comes from the beginning, the initiation of the ventricular systole, blood rushing in. The dub comes from the short snap of closure in the aortic and pulmonary vanes as blood is pumped outward. Even our heartbeats are a reminder that we exist for relationship. Upward, outward. Upward, outward. Upward, outward.
The reality of engaging in broken human relationships is there will be turbulence. You will have to open yourself up to the potential collateral damage. But isolating yourself from relationships is as noxious for your soul as oxygen deprivation is for your heart.
Today I rejoice in relationship with the Lord! I rejoice that He has given me the opportunity to experience more relationship. Despite the hurt, despite the stumbles, I rejoice for the hope of my relationships echoing the heartbeat of our creator. Upward, outward. Grace, mercy. Love, acceptance.
This is amazing, as always. Proud to be your sister.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully Written Bekah. This is such an amazing principle that can be applied to any relationship in our lives. I <3 the upward, outward view. So thankful for His love and the opportunity to have relationships, even when they go through turbulence.
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