true relationship

i don't know how many times i've seen my facebook news feed fill up with stuff like,

-so and so went from being "single" to being "in a relationship"-

or, -so and so went from being "in a relationship" to "single"-

(these two usually make the news feed within two weeks of each other)

or, my personal favorite, -so and so went from being "in a relationship" to "it's complicated"-



yes, there is a point to this post. read on.

i learned last night that studies show that the number one thing my generation wants is relationship. we want to love. we want to be loved. we want to know that other people find worth in us. we want to feel as if we are valued. we want to have someone who wants to talk to us and who we can talk to about anything, anytime. someone who will be there for us when our day just isn't going the way we want. we want someone who will wrap us in their arms and tell us that they love us more than anything else in the entire world.

that's why i think so many teenagers settle for meaningless relationships that lead nowhere but to heartbreak and sorrow way before they can even begin to think of long-term commitment (i.e. marriage).

why?

see above. we're lonely. i believe that teenagers are too often victims of low expectations. we long to have something to fulfill us, so we turn to earthly love.

so what's the problem?

we've left God out of the equation.

read that above paragraph again. God wants to be all of this and so much more to us every single day. God is love. He loves us more than anything else in the entire world, and he wants us to love him so much that our entire lives are a testament to his glory. He finds crazy amounts of worth in us. He looks at us as His most precious creation. the Bible says that we are FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made. God thinks about us non-stop. He is always on the edge of His seat, waiting for us to talk to Him. He loves us so much that He gave His only Son to die a horrific death so that we could live with Him forever. now that is true love.

so my question is, what would happen if my generation took this want, this need for relationship and applied it to their relationships with God? i believe that our world would be changed. if every teenager, every person,  stayed in constant contact with God, we would be enabled to do things this world has never seen before through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 1 Timothy 4:12 says, "don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." we live in a world that wants to be able to do everything. we don't want to be held back or restricted. so why do we set up restrictions for ourselves in our spiritual lives? what if we took 1 Timothy 4:12 to heart and actually developed relationships with God that set an example for all those around us? our lives and our world would be forever changed.

i don't have some incredible closing words of wisdom for this post. all i want to say is that it is my hope that myself and all those around me will take this to heart and will begin to develop relationships with God that change the world.