If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; although he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

~Psalm 37:23-24~

I’m not sure what drives us to seek out one another for relationships, but I am certain that the pursuit of relationships is perhaps one of the most exhausting, most misunderstood things we will ever spend time on.  There are times when most of us feel that we absolutely must have someone in our lives and for some, times when we would just rather not be bothered.  If we don’t want to be bothered by the “formality” of a relationship, is it fair for us to go to the trouble of spending time with one another just for the sake of fulfilling that sense of emptiness we are feeling?  No, it isn’t.  This type of drive-by intimacy is at the heart of what troubles many people today.  You never know which way is up, so to speak.  And many times, it leaves you wondering why you bothered to spend any time on it at all.

But is it the quality of time spent that matters or is it the quantity?  If someone stops in every once in a while does this constitute something worthy of sustaining itself in between hits?  Or is constant presence required?  In my experience, that constant presence, though reassuring, is sometimes what begins to wear us out in terms of what we feel we can offer and what we are willing to part with.  This is especially true for those of us who have trouble with the “giving” aspect that a deep, sustainable relationship requires.  In other words, sometimes a little is all we have to give and it seems like we need to ration it out so that we at least look like we are worth someone’s time and energy.

If we look at this in parallel to our relationship with God, our reluctance to settle into something more than just a transient but frenzied expression of passion for His presence must represent our lack of faith that He wants relationship with us.  But we have so much proof that He does, this is an argument that simply doesn’t hold water.  The Bible tells us throughout its text that God wants relationship with us.  If only there was something out there that could tell us when other people truly want relationship with us.  That, I suppose, is what makes our relationship with God the most important thing to cultivate in our lives.  Without this basis of unconditional love and understanding and acceptance, it just isn’t likely that we would have this to offer to another person no matter how much we would like to imagine that we can.

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

~Psalm 90:14~

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