How
does intimacy grow between two individuals?
We
stop holding back from each other, we dare to reveal our whole selves to each
other and in doing so, love grows, trust grows and intimacy grows.
Once
we’ve been betrayed and hurt a process of withholding begins within us, for the
sake of self-protection.
In
our relationship with God, disobedience is betrayal. Yet, when creation
betrayed our Creator, He already had His arms out waiting for us.
“But God commends His love toward us, in
that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8 (NKJV)
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God
didn’t wait for us to make the first move. He didn’t wait for us to recognize
our wrong doing or to come to Him to ask forgiveness. No, He provided a plan
for our redemption and the reconciling of our relationship with Him before we
even rebelled.
God’s
love for us is unconditional. Nothing can separate us from His love!
“For I am persuaded that neither death
nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor
things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be
able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” –
Romans 8:38-39 (NKJV)
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Right
in the middle of our ugliest sin – God loves us!
Most
of us have known personal betrayal and the agony of the pain it causes. Who
among us hasn’t felt that anguish?
We
know trust is seldom easily restored, and as the betrayals amass, trust can
completely fade away.
And
even before we consider trusting our offender again, we’re confronted with the
dilemma of forgiveness.
I
believe the best way to enter any relationship that’s expected to last,
especially marriage, is with the intentional plan to forgive. Offenses
will come.
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“Then He said to the disciples, “It is
impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do
come!” - Luke 17:1 (NKJV)
Many
of us attempt to enter into relationships with each other and with God, and
expect to never be offended.
While
walking out the gospels, Jesus even said things that offended His followers,
many stopped following Him when He told them they had to eat His flesh and drink
His blood. Without understanding, that does sound sick and disgusting.
When
God confronts our sin, our pride, our disobedience or even our lack of
participation in the relationship, sometimes we tend to get a bit bent out of
shape. Don’t we? Often we’ll flat out deny our part in the matter.
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Relationships
between people require attention. If you routinely ignore your spouse, they’ll
become offended, thinking they’re not important to you. How can we expect to
ignore the most important relationship of our lives?
Our
wounds can make us do crazy things.
But,
unlike people, God is always anticipating our return, always looking to the
reconciling of our relationship with Him. “The
Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is
longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should
come to repentance.” - 2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)
God,
being God, reaches out to us continually.
Yet,
we, in our fear or pride, attempt to hide things from Him, perhaps because we get
away with hiding them from ourselves and others for a season.
We
all need validation; to share our story in our own way. (I realize not everyone
feels the need to talk to anyone, anywhere, like I do.) Yet, we think we can
hold back parts of our story from the One Who’s seen it all.
As
much as we crave intimacy, we’re the ones who stand in our own way.
God
desires intimacy with us so much so, that He chose, out of love for us, to
cover the cost of our offenses. He lovingly provides endless intimacy for the
taking.
God
loved us first, so that we could love Him. “We love Him because He first loved us.” - 1
John 4:19 (NKJV)
It’s
our move.
It’s
your move.
Decide
now; what is your next step?
“…choose for yourselves this day whom
you will serve…But, as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” – Joshua 24:15
(NKJV)
