Last night I had a dream about a couple who were lost, but in the end found each other again along with their true selves in Jesus. What made this dream so vivid was the fact that it could be the story of anyone. It began as usual with infatuation, which led to "falling in love" which led to the reckless lifestyle associated with the infatuation of "falling in love". Notice I put "falling in love" in quotes, because to me, this phase of any relationship is a trap that fools people into thinking that relationships and love just happens, there's no work involved. Anyone who's been married, or involved in a relationship past this "in love" phase knows that this just isn't true. There's a tremendous amount of work required to maintain and sustain a successful relationship. People just aren't willing to put in the work. But that's another story for another time, back to this one.
So, finally, as most couples do, this one encountered rough waters...really rough. They had a few children out of wedlock, because they hadn't formalized their commitment to each other (and I suspect because the man didn't fully yet understand his leadership responsibilities), they began to "fall out of love" which essentially meant they stopped working at their relationship. Soon drugs, alcohol, and unfaithfulness became a part of their stories. But along the way something interesting happened. An older family member started praying for them both. It was an old grandmother, but in reality, this could have been anyone with the wisdom and love necessary to counsel them back to the right path. Despite her prayers initially, the young couple and their family broke apart. The young man left his family and began to wonder, gone for long periods of time without notice. Soon the young woman did the same, and eventually the grandmother took the children from the relationship in. But she kept praying. And whenever one of the parents would come back for a visit, or would come back seemingly clean for a moment, she would encourage them and prophesy about a coming better day. She always reminded them that they were one choice away from restoration. Of course she was talking about giving their lives to Christ.
Finally, one day it happened. The young man gave his life to Christ, and in the midst of his change he realized how irresponsible he'd been with his life, his time, his relationships, and his family. He began to make amends and he started first with this young lady. Unfortunately she wasn't prepared to receive anything he had to say because she was still battling her own demons. So he moved forward to his family, restoring his relationship with his young sons and starting to become the father they needed, one he never had himself. Then one day the grandmother heard that the young lady (her granddaughter) had turned herself into a rehab clinic. After a period of time she told the young man who she was now very close with. And at her program completion, he and their young boys surprised her with a visit. They arrived to find a changed woman, not just because of the lack of drugs and alcohol though. She'd also accepted Jesus into her own life and there was a new peace about her. It didn't take long for the young man and woman to reconcile and start beginning their new life as a family together. That's when I woke up, looked over at my own wife and thanked God for our own relationship- the pitfalls we've avoided, and the favor that has allowed us to overcome challenges.
There's a reason why this story stuck with me though. I believe that there are a lot of relationships out there struggling for some of the same reasons. At the root is an identity crisis. Two people coming together, not fully knowing themselves or knowing God. The bible asks, "how can two walk together unless they be agreed?" There are a lot of lost people in this world trying to use each other to find their way, instead of first finding God. It's like the blind leading the blind...and we all know how that ends. So I'm on a crusade to open folks eyes to the reality of Christ, so that they can first find themselves in Him. And, I'm curious to know, whose relationship out there has been lost and is now found? What's your story? If you're willing to share, post on this blog and let your story be a testimony to others.
SDW3
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