Wake Up Call

In my few years of life and my little experience in the real world I have noticed something that has just been nagging at the back of mind for some time. So here it is... What is the deal with relationships?

What I mean by this is, what are we doing? We destroy the relationships that are important and healthy to chase relationships that promise something that will not happen. I'm not talking about husband-wife, boss-employee, grandmother-grandchild, owner-pet, etc. relationships. I am talking about two sets of relationship (although this often applies to some of the above mentioned). I am talking about boyfriend-girlfriend relationships & human-God relationships.

I have been noticing how young so many people are when they enter into their first "relationship" with a girl or boy. I was sitting in the airport on my way to Romania and I was listening to these two kids behind me (ya, I'm an eavesdropper). They couldn't have been much older than 14 and one of them was going on and on about his "girlfriend" and how great she was, but how he was starting to "like" this other girl...blah, blah, blah. Seriously, 14?! I mean, what are the dates like? "Mom, can we please pick up my girlfriend for this week and go somewhere nice like Chuck-E-Cheese?" Why has our culture encouraged this and made it seem like kids and teenagers need a girlfriend or boyfriend to be cool or meaningful. Now, some relationships that start out in middle-school or high-school do work out and that is AWESOME! I am so happy for those people. However, this is not the norm. Most people destroy so many good relationships or possibly good relationships that they have chasing something that is extremely pointless at that point in their life. Middle-school and High-school are the years where you should find yourself and your calling in life. You should concern yourself with finding YOU nor him/her. They will always be there. There is no shortage of amazing single guys and girls out there in the world. Don't worry. The best thing you can do is find God's calling for you and then follow it, not worrying about trying to hunt down that girl or guy. God will bring them along in due time... and nothing is better when they fit perfectly with you and your plan in life rather than you trying to force and reshape yourself to fit something that isn't supposed to go there in the first place.

We do the same thing with God. We have this relationship available to us. It's an amazing relationship of love, forgiveness, judgement, and grace. It is the relationship of a just father and his prodigal child. Now, we can choose this relationship or we can run like so many and chase other relationships and things that promise things that they can't offer. We turn from God and chase boyfriends/girlfriends, worldly pleasures, fame, fortune, prestige, peace, happiness. But none of these things can fit in that place in our hearts. That spot is reserved and it is one of the largest and most unique puzzle pieces of your heart that there is. NOTHING fits there except for one piece. Why do we run so far and so earnestly from the one thing that can fix us? What are we doing? We need to rethink our relationships and what we are chasing after...