"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
Mark 12:30
Assumption: If a Christian boy and a Christian girl enter into a relationship then their relationship with be a Christ-centered one without any extra effort.
Reality: If a Christian boy and a Christian girl enter into a relationship they have to work daily at making sure it is a Christ-centered one.
To make sure I get my point across allow me to paraphrase:
There is a huge difference in being in a God honoring, Christ centered, Holy Spirit led relationship and being in a relationship with someone who is a Christian.
A couple of days ago Brandon and I went to an event together called the Hogspy Awards which is U of A's version of the ESPYs. His mom and sister came too and it was a fun night full of pictures, laughing, pictures, food, and more pictures! (Brandon LOVES pictures.) Brandon wore a suit and I wore make-up and spent a good 30 minutes trying to fix my hair. The entire time I was getting ready I was thinking, "I can't wait for my boyfriend to see me!" I had it all planned out in my head from beginning to end. I planned what he was going to say, how many times he would say it, and how he was going to look at me.
While Brandon definitely told me I looked pretty, things didn't go exactly as I had planned. So I got pouty. Not in a 'stick out the bottom lip kinda way' but in a 'I'm gonna be quiet until you repent kinda way.' Not exactly the best way to go about things, FYI.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for getting compliments from my boyfriend. In fact I think complimenting each other in relationships is very healthy, but I was wanting more than just a compliment. I was seeking Brandon Moore's approval of my outward appearance in hopes that it would fulfill me, give me worth, and make me content.
Bless his heart. I had just taken the role that Jesus is suppose to play in my life and shoved it on Brandon without even giving him a good luck kiss. Needless to say, Brandon fell short. Why did he fail to give me those three things? Because Brandon is not perfect.
My boyfriend is not Jesus, therefore, he will never be able to fulfill the role of Jesus in my life. When I try to make Brandon equal to my sweet Savior I am sinning by placing Brandon as an idol.
Thankfully Jesus said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9) He promises in his word to fulfill me, to give me worth, and make me content. All I have to do is rest in him.
"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
2 Corinthians 3:18
We are still in the very early stages of figuring how to look like the "reality" relationship as opposed to the "assumption" relationship. Here is what we are learning that looks like.
1) God Honoring
- staying pure physically with each other even in our hearts (Ephesians 5:3)
- respecting one another out of biblical submission to God (Ephesians 5:21)
2) Christ Centered
- forgiving one another daily and not holding grudges (Ephesians 4:32)
- showing each other grace just as Christ showed us (whole bible)
- talking daily about how we can serve Christ individually and together (Ephesians 3:10)
3) Holy Spirit Led
- asking for through small and large decisions in our relationship (Ephesians 1:17)
- trusting through faith the Holy Spirit will keep us in the Father's will (Romans 8:5)
Without making an effort to base our relationship on the Lord, we would have broken up a long time ago. Even a good thing -like a Christian boyfriend- can turn into a bad thing if placed equal to or above Jesus Christ.
Praying for you to have a Christ centered relationship.
Jackie J
