It IS Right

"So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God...." . (Philippians 1:7 NLT)

How often do you hear pastors talk like that to "their people"?   

Sometimes, I wonder if something is wrong with me.  And by the time I explain what is wrong with me, it will seem obvious that it is in fact right.  I feel like a broken record, because I have written this blog post many times and in different forms.

In 2000, my wife and I began ministering to a group of high school aged youth at our home church, and after high school, they went off to pursue their own lives.   We have been fortunate that many of them are still living in the area, but the circumstances of life are such that we aren't able to see each other as we once did.

I often catch myself thinking of them, so much so, that I wonder if I'm somehow supposed to forget them and move on in some way.  The undeniable truth is however, that I am completely unable to stop caring deeply for them, and for what happens to them.

Last evening, my wife and I had the privilege of witnessing one of these young men marry "the woman of his dreams".  As we caught up with old friends, it became obvious to me, that the enduring love we have for our fellow believers isn't something we need to 'get over', rather, it is something that is right.

It can hurt when we miss and long for people who have moved on in life, yet I am convinced the pain is meant to highlight the injustices of life that are meant to be solved when at last we gather at an even greater wedding feast; The Marriage of The Lamb.  There are two great tragedies I am certain will be resolved when we walk together in final glory.

Intimacy 

I know I'm not alone.  It's like I have this heart full of love, and no matter what I say or what I do, I am completely incapable of fully expressing it.  I always have in mind the things I want to convey to the people I love, but it never comes out in full force, no matter how often I rehearse, how often I say it or how beautiful it sounded in my head.

I can't say this with absolute certainty, because I don't have the backing of scripture, but I anticipate, that this is one injustice that is meant to be resolved.  How beautiful it would be if we were fully able to articulate that love that we have for each other!

Time

This I do know.  Eternity with Christ offers without cost, that commodity which is so limited to us now.  As I spent last evening trying to connect with old friends, there just wasn't enough time, and as much as I would like to connect on some other evening, there still isn't enough time.  Even for those people who I had a decent conversation with, we really never had sufficient time to fully grasp what life is like for each other.

Maybe some of you like the idea of Heaven, but you're planning on getting there without Jesus.  I don't know how to politely break it to you, but the kind of love that Paul had for the people of Philippi, and the kind of love I have for my Christian brothers and sisters is inherently a Jesus thing.  What are you basing eternity on?  Your own wishful thinking?  You weren't as bad as the next guy?  You have done less bad stuff in 2014 than you did in 2013?

The marriage of Christ is for His people.  How else did you think it was supposed to work?

It is right that I miss you.  It is right, because the kind of love believers have for each other has nothing to do with sexuality, but everything to do with The Spirit who lives within them.   It's right, because it keeps me focused on Christ, as the only hope of rectifying that which has been broken.  It is right, because scripture says it's right.

PS. Just because 2 people love each other doesn't meant they have to have sex.  Somebody PLEASE find a way to explain that to the world!!!!  I have been completely unsuccessful, and I even wrote a book.