Chapter Three: Made For Each Other

We are made for each other. One of C.S. Lewis' students told him, "My father says we read to know we're not alone."
Yet, we're afraid of each other, and for good reason. There are manipulators, users, cheaters, and just plain ugly people
who are ready to take full advantage of you simply to advance themselves. At the same time there are those precious people who are selfless and lavish on us one blessing after another through their nobility, integrity, generosity, and internal beauty.

God shows Himself through the latter and the former have not yet surrendered to God. The precious people give us a foretaste of glory divine and the mean give us a taste of...well, you know. So we halt in pursuing relationships while we cry out for them. The church is the body of Christ (community if you will) that God has designed for us to taste of the precious people. Yet, even there, the precious people can, at times, descend below their better nature and hurt us. What are we to do about this? Some church-hop to avoid the pain. Some give up on church entirely thinking that the devil's kids will be more kind. They won't.

It's only in the context of suffering through the pain of relationships that we come to really experience the power of the One Relationship for which we were made. It's only when I've hurt you (or you've hurt me), you confront me (or cover me), I ask for forgiveness, you grant it, and we move on past the hurt to comforting, encouraging, admonishing, serving, and loving one another that we come to experience the fullness of God's character. He was betrayed, sinned against, and yet He sought reconciliation. There will be more pain in our relationships, and more forgiveness, and more pain, and more forgiveness. This is community. This is relationship. We want it...badly. But we're afraid. We have to trust God for damage control in our relationships with others. He will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The alternative to relationships is unacceptable. It's safe, but also vacuous.

There is only One relationship that is without risk. Of course, that does not mean that knowing God is safe. As Lucy was told (The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe), "Aslan is not safe, but He's good." There are dangers in our relationship with God, but the dangers are worth the risk because He is good. Following Christ may cost you your physical life, but it will yield eternal life, where there are no more dangers and thus no risks. In the meantime we long to have vignettes of that relationship; and we do, imperfect yes, but delightful.

God has enjoyed relationship for eternity. The Trinity has love among the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Love has always existed and been shared. Being made in God’s image we long for relationship and love. God gives us clear instructions for how to experience a sample of perfect relationships before we arrive at our home in heaven. The closest we come on earth is our relationships with our parents, brothers and sisters, our children, and our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Interestingly, atheists and secularists long for all these things too. Yet, their answer is that all of this longing is caused by material interaction of neurons animated by chemistry and electricity. Meaningless biochemical determinism is the genesis of this passion to know one another. What a silly and hopeless explanation for what we regard as most dear to us. My love for my parents, wife, and kids is nothing more than the purposeless physical forces of physics and biology. No thanks, that’s neither emotionally or intellectually satisfying. God still remains the most credible answer.