Fellow Readers,
Hello again. I hope all is well. I have a feeling this will be a pretty quick post. Especially because I have a class in a short while. Why do I always write after 2:00 AM? Who am I kidding, though? When has anything I have talked about ever been "quick?" Just look at the amount of rhetorical questions I pose: they could amount to at least 25% of my posts, I am sure. Anyways, I just wanted to talk about relationships and whatnot. I have recently seen numerous blog posts about marriage and such, whether it being married, getting engaged, or single and looking (probably looking harder than one should). So, why not join the exhausted list of relationship posts, right? I like to attempt to stay hip, you know. I have to try to appeal to the younger audience every-now-and-then. So let us get at it, then. Relationships. More specifically, romantic relationships.
Webster defines a relationship as the way in which two or more people or organizations regard and behave toward each other. For our purposes, obviously, we will use people. I have nothing against organizations. I just do not think they will tie into what we have got going on here. Webster decides to further his definition by stating a relationship is also an emotional and sexual association between two people. Okay Noah (Webster's first name, for those who do not know him personally), way to make things awkward. I for sure know that using organizations in this example would not be appropriate. We are dealing with an entirely different situation when we talk about the sexual associations between two or more organizations, which may or may not be illegal. At any rate, moving on. Let me see if I can find my point in all of this verbiage. Romantic relationships are a huge deal in our every day lives, regardless of your age (assuming you are old enough to know what romance is. I will not put an actual age on that, because it differs from person-to-person). So, let us dig deeper into those definitions. Beginning with the second (because, why not? Starting with the first thing in a series is so mainstream), relationships have a ton to do with emotions, and in today's society, sex is also big. What kind of emotions are you sharing, or would share (I would never leave out my fellow single homies), with your romantic partner? Hopefully, all of them. If you are not, I would question the validity of your relationship with that person. A relationship can never be just happy all of the time and butterflies and unicorns and what have you. It is just impossible to do. There are just going to be those days, or that one thing you disagree on, etc. Conversely, a relationship will never last if all you share are poor emotions. What would be the point? However, a relationship that shares the good and the bad, and still want nothing else in this world but you partner, that could work. (DISCLAIMER: I do not consider myself a relationship guru: this whole post is just what I personally think. Take it as you will.) I will save the sex part for later. Moving on to the first definition-a relationship is the way two people regard and behave towards each other. How do you behave towards your partner? How do you regard your partner? Do you try to control them, or do you trust them? Do you value and cherish your partner, realizing by some incredible force you have managed to find this partner, or do you halfheartedly sit back "knowing" you have your partner locked down, putting in no effort? Relationships take constant work and a constant expression of how much you care about your partner and how thankful you are for them. We are in no way owed a romantic partner, so do not act like you are done when you have yours. Never stop pursuing your partner.
Now, the moment you all have been waiting for: Sex. For most of you reading this, you know that I am a Christian. Therefore, I choose to follow what the Bible says about sex: it is a no-go outside of marriage. I do not think that is limited to Christians, nor am I condemning anyone who claims to be a Christian and has had premarital sex. That is not the point. The point is why I think we should follow that rule. There is no doubt sex is an amazing thing to be shared with your partner. The Bible, therefore God, calls us to have sex (Gen. 1:28- be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and have dominion over it. *rough paraphrase* Prov. 5: 18-19-Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love. *Yep, the Bible indeed says that). The thing He also calls us to do, is to only have sex with our husband or wife, leaving sex outside of marriage as adulteress behavior, thus a sexual sin. That is a red flag for me when I think about sex. Do not do it outside of marriage. For those who do not claim to be Christian, and Christians as well; why should we wait until marriage to have sex? I like to believe there is a sense of pride to be had, if you can tell your new husband or wife that you waited for them; you valued them so much that you preserved yourself for them; you wanted to share the most intimate thing two people can share with only them. That is something special, and sadly all too forgotten in the world we live in today.
So, where do we go from here? For those who are currently in a romantic relationship: love your partner. Do not take them for granted. If you are a guy, act as if you are still trying to muster up that courage to ask her out; do not stop pursuing her; still try to come up with those creative dates that are going to sweep her off of her feet. Women: pursue your man. Knock him off his guard; you take him out on a date; do not stop being that girl who made him feel fuzzy on the inside. Couples: wait for each other; remain abstinent. Christian couples: center your relationship on Jesus. Dig in His word together; pray together; push each other closer to Him. If you do so, you will find that you are not perfect for your partner and they are not perfect for you, but Jesus is perfect for both of you and the perfect example of what love is.
For all my single friends, what is next? Do not get desperate. I know there is this strong desire inside of you to find a partner, trust me. But, you have to be patient. Still try (a relationship is not just going to happen out of no where), but do not force yourself to like someone just because you think they may like you. Take the time to get to know other people. Christian single peeps: take this time to build your relationship with Jesus. Dig in His word; pray; pursue the Lord. Plan those cheesy, creative dates with the Big Guy upstairs. FYI: no one will love you more, so why not spend time with that relationship? Prepare your heart for your future partner. Remain abstinent.
If you have stuck with me 'til now, thank you for reading. I told ya I was kidding myself when I thought this could be quick. Again, I will say I am no expert in relationships. I hope this post will challenge you to evaluate how you are working in your relationships. I hope this post can help you grow. I apologize if I offended anyone. I know sex can be a very touchy, tabooish topic. If you did feel convicted by some of this stuff, I encourage you to not run away from it, but to flat out throw it out into the open. Face it. Pray about it. Feel free to contact me about anything. I am not without sin. Let's share our struggles people! Also, feel free to challenge anything I put in here. I would love to hear people's opinions on this stuff.
Thanks for reading.
Signing off.
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