XOXO
- becca
- Feb 11, 2020
- 4 min read
I love the feeling of experiencing a sermon in person, but we just haven't been able to get ourselves through the doors for a few weeks now, and this week I was really missing it. So this morning (Monday morning) I decided I'd listen to Sunday's sermon on relationships. And I'm SO glad I did.
Pastor Jeremy and I just speak the same language when it comes to religion, or at least that's the vibe I've gotten since I really started listening to him several months ago. He started the sermon by explaining that he 100% realizes that when we (Christians) try to take the word of the Bible and apply it to today...it can get pretty messy and complicated. The fact of the matter is that society has changed drastically since the Bible was written and it's impossible to think of things exactly the way they did 2000 years ago. That means that we have to adapt to the ways of the world today.
Relationships, and how they're created, have drastically changed since Jesus' time. They've even drastically changed since the '80s (not that I was alive to experience them then). People no longer have to rely on in-person communication. If you want to ask someone out, all you have to do is pull out your phone and send a quick text. The "personal" part of personal relationships has been almost completely wiped out. Isn't that sad?
What's even more sad, though, is one thing that HASN'T changed since Jesus' time: the fact that we expect our relationships to bring us satisfaction. And when they don't, we scare...we run...we want out immediately. But that is not what a relationship is intended to do. If you're searching for a relationship because you feel something missing in your life...the only relationship you need is one with God.
Our expectations for relationships tend to be extremely high. And when those relationships don't meet expectations, we want out. But if we approach it that way, all we're ever going to be is disappointed. Marriage isn't meant to bring you satisfaction. Marriage is for two people to serve one another, reflecting God's love in the process. THAT is the purpose of a marriage (or any relationship)...not to make you happy. Your partner cannot complete you. Two miserable people do not equal one happy couple.
I'm not going to tell this story exactly right (don't remember which scripture it was or what book of the Bible), but Pastor Jeremy gave an amazing example during the service. He talked about men in the Bible (lol...again, no idea what book or who they were exactly) that were starving of thirst. They came upon a body of water that looked absolutely marvelous; no water had ever looked clearer or more pure. But when the men drank from this body of water, they experienced something completely different from what they were expecting. It was horribly bitter and made them drastically ill. Pastor Jeremy ended the story with:
"Not everything we thirst for is going to satisfy us."
Relate that back to relationships. Just because someone seems like they're the right fit in the moment or that they'll satisfy your craving in the moment...doesn't mean you won't wake up the next morning feeling worse than you did beforehand.
He actually jokingly related it to porn during the service...HAHAHA. Something that is so extremely accessible in today's society (the average child is exposed to it by the age of 6...WUT) yet we're probably more messed up now than we were 100 years ago. People watch it expecting to feel loved and satisfied afterward, but a lot of the time they're left feeling empty and alone.
Think twice before giving your desires permission to drive. Do not let pleasure take focus over your purpose.
Desire is normal (even Pastor Jeremy says so). But it's what we do with that and how we control it that matters. It cannot take complete control in our lives.
Did you know that the average person checks their phone 150 times a day...WUT????? I mean, I'm bad, but I don't think I'm THAT bad. It's led to something called "phantom vibration"; people think they feel their phone buzz but it's really all in their head. I mean...WHAT HAS THE WORLD COME TO?? It has completely changed the way of relationships.
We've come to a place in time, and I think it's especially prominent today than ever before, where we become so easily frustrated when our relationship situation doesn't live up to expectations; when what you expected isn't realized. But what we need to come to realize is that you CAN have fulfillment without relationships. That should be your ultimate goal: fulfillment. And how do you find fulfillment? Through God, the spirit. The waves on the way to fulfillment are going to be choppy. But MAN, once you get there is it going to be worth it.
This service was just the introductory to a series Pastor Jeremy is doing over the next several weeks on relationships. And if you find in your heart that you need this in your life, you can always follow along online (I'll link the website below). This message doesn't just pertain to romantic relationships; it should be applied to all of the connections you have in your life. If I know Pastor Jeremy, he's going to go deep. And he's not going to shy away from touching on all of the..."touchy" subjects. As I've said previously, he has an amazing way of putting scripture from 2000+ years ago into words that make sense in today's society, which is exactly what I need from religion. Here is the link if that's what you need too:
Thanks for following along; let's grow in our faith together.
A place to be #unapologeticallyme
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