shall we get high on truth?

lunes, enero 22, 2007

Take this world from me
I don't need it any more
I am finally free
My heart is spoken for
~MercyMe

martes, enero 09, 2007

Flirtatiously Resolved

Two minutes before the ball dropped I realized I had yet to determine a new year resolution. Two hours later I turned to Trevor and said, “I’ve got it! I am resolved to be more flirtatious this year!”

Gasp! Yes. I am going to work on being flirtatious. What this actually means, I’m not exactly sure yet and I hope to organize my thoughts and develop what my resolution actually means in this post.

Pretty much all last semester I spent a great amount of time studying and thinking about what opposite sex relationships. This semester I’ve been given the opportunity to go to a much bigger and more professional college instead of the community college I was attending. As I looked forward to making the transition I began to wonder if I was now ready for a relationship. All my life I’ve assumed that I would get married. Did I understand the root purpose? Did I understand the sacrificial requirements? Did I understand the depth of commitment? And did I understand the blessings? The answer was no.

Last semester God cleared my view of girl-guy relationships in many areas. My opinions and philosophies were flipped upside down, spun 180 degrees, and popped inside out. It was a slap in the face and quite a wake up call to realize just how selfish and corrupt I am.

I can summarize what I learned in three basic principles (and you must at least read Principle #3). These principles are being spat on, stepped on, and ripped to shreds all the time, all around us. It’s easy to see how the world’s philosophies become engraved in us and will require a lot of painful removing and replacing in order to get our heart back on the right track.

Principle #1: Pleasure is God’s invention.
When I heard this statement for the first time I though, “Baloney!” But as I started to think about it, I realized that this is a beautifully true principle. Pleasure is good, folks! God invented it for us. That is why growing closer to Him always will end up resulting in immense pleasure! That is why we have nothing to loose! That is why we don’t have to worry about being bored in heaven! That is why God gave us marriage! To grow closer to Him. Just like when C. S. Lewis states in his book the Screwtape Letters that when the devil makes us sin through pleasures, he is dangerously working in God’s territory. Pleasure is not evil. The desire for pleasure is not evil. It becomes evil when we are willing to reject God in order to fulfill those desires.
So the first principle made me feel quite warm and fuzzy and excited. The next two aren’t quite so warm and fuzzy. But their still exiting!

Principle #2: Relationships are about giving.
This is probably the most obvious principle that is murdered in the secular world. Once you realize that the only relationships that work are the selfless ones, you start to notice how blatantly selfish we are. The next time you watch a chick-flick, walk through campus, or hang with your friends, keep an ear out for a person’s philosophy concerning this area in life. People think that relationships are all about receiving everything you’re looking for. And indeed there is a great deal of receiving that happens in relationships but keep this in mind: There is only the reception of blessings in a relationship because all the giving has to go somewhere. If you think about it, it makes so much sense! When partners are focused on giving instead of receiving, that relationship is going to be… “DYNAMITE!” (Pastor Aucoin)

Principle #3: Everything is possible through Christ.
You must be wondering what this has to do with romantic relationships. Actually, it branches from principle #2 but I believe is so big and so over looked that it definitely needs its own paragraph. If you logically follow the logic that relationships are all about giving you realize that you shouldn’t have to go through too many suspects before you find your spouse. Seriously, why do we have to go out and date so many people? I think it is ridiculous how many times a young person has to go through braking up in their life time! It shouldn’t be that way. First of all, one shouldn’t date someone unless you think that person is going to put effort into a relationship. Second of all, once you are in a relationship, a true self-emptying Christian would make it happen! Does it make any sense that a Christian would be looking for the relationship that isn’t going to require any work? EVERY RELATIONSHIP REQUIRES WORK!!! You two aren’t going to connect perfectly like two simple peaces of puzzle. You are going to have to grab your special someone and hold on for dear life as the hurricane of secularism tries to tear you two apart. God’s amazing power to change people is the key to a successful couple that will go all the way to the alter and beyond with God’s blessings (pleasure) written all over them.

Well, I guess that didn’t have much to do with flirtatiousness after all. Oh well. At least it caught your attention. (wahahahaha!)

By the way, if you are interested, “Sex and the Supremacy of Christ” is an excellent book for anybody and everybody.