Looking for Love
My church, Hope Creek, started a new series called Love, Sex, and Dating. I know what's going through your head: "Hear we go. 'No one should come before me and God. No sex before marriage. And, do not become 'unequally yoked.'' Yea yea. I've heard it all before." I thought the same thing when I heard the name of the series, but, because I connect with Scott's messages so often, I was curious to know, "What perspective will he bring? What new information will I learn?"
Scott is one of the most gifted speakers of theology I've heard bridging the, often seemingly enormous, gap between Christian doctrine and daily modern life. To be honest, the "rules" in Scott's message were the same...and they should be. God's hope and purpose for humanity and his law that stems from His love for us hasn't changed. We've changed. Our world, our culture has changed and is changing daily. So, the way we understand love, sex, and dating...that is the thing that should continue to evolve.
If you know me, you know I've become pretty cynical about dating, love, marriage, and babies. I think it is a combination of heartache, unfulfilled expectations, the constant flow of Facebook status updates on the issues, the shrinking list of single friends friends without kids, and an overall change in thinking on many of the topics: "Do I really want kids, or did I always just assume I would have them?"
One of my unfulfilled expectations that has left me a hopeless romantic is finding the "right" person. I've had my prospects, all of which haven't panned out, obviously; and I've even thought for a couple potentials, "He's the one God is calling me to. I know it." Scott said it best in His introductory sermon to Love, Sex, and Dating: "Stop looking for the right person, and start becoming the right person." This isn't a change in Man's need for fellowship, this is a change in our understanding of how we approach and prepare for fellowship. This uncomplicated statement stops us from looking to our unknown future and probes us to exist in our known present.
Needless to say, my understanding of dating, love, marriage, and babies is still evolving, and my heart is slowly beginning to thaw out.
A little inspirational love for your day...
linus+danielle • rainy barn wedding from Paperback Weddings on Vimeo.
Top Photo: Bleubird. There are many more photos from this INCREDIBLE wedding here. I hope my wedding day is a huge celebration like this one with those nearest and dearest to us.
You can listen to podcasts from the series Love, Sex, and Datinghere.
