(no subject)
Ok so I kinda have a response to my own previous live journal post. You have to follow me with this analogy. Picture this. You are in a garden. On your left, there are beautiful roses. Along the stem of the roses there are many thorns, and it is quite apparent that in order to take care of these beautiful and precious plants, you will need much time and patience. On your right, a few pots of mums are growing nicely. You look at the mums and realize how much amazing color they add to the garden as you walk past them. The mums are growing quite independently but you realize that you might want to pick them up and take them home with you. The gardener comes out and says, "Ok, you can have any plant you want with one condition." Excitely you respond, "Great, what is that?" The gardener turns to you and says, "As long as you, take the plant home and care for it; to prosper and make it grow all the days of your life." Both plants are beautiful and unique and have been placed in your path as a blessing from the gardener. However, the choice as to which on you take home and care for is totally up to you. Each plant will take much effort to help it along and keep it growing. It just depends on how much effort you intend to give. Easily enough, you could walk out of the garden and chose not to take any flowers home...but why would you want to deny the blessing. You could also chose the rose plant and be stunned by its beauty and awe at its intricacy yet need to work extremely hard in givening it the time it demands for growth. You could chose the mum plant, accepting its simplicity and independence placing only the needed effort into prospering it. Ultimately, you have the choice.
This in analogy to me is a lot like relationships. Sometimes thinking about being with another person in a lifelong commitment of growth and development in relationship with God and one another can seem intimidating. However, it is clear that God places us in these gardens when we are ready. Some of us may chose to pass right through the garden and not take a plant home. Others may chose the rose plants and be dedicated to one another in building each other up completely in the love that God blesses them with. Even still, others may chose the mums working hard independently yet, together to enhance the life God has called them to.
I guess after really contemplating my thoughts I've realized that we are shown many beautiful things here on earth to give us the smallest glimpse of what all of God's beauty will someday be like. However, in deciding if a relationship is right...its dependent on our own personal characteristics. Building the best kind of relationship starts with knowing the gardener personally. If we know how the gardener cares for all of his plants and have experienced it personally in our lives, it becomes that much more beautiful when we do decide to care for another one of his creations. However, because he wants us to put the maximal effort in caring for this person we have to be truly ready in our hearts, minds, and spirits for this to take place. The choice we make as to which person is best suited is influenced by God's design of us. I'm sure that we will know when it is best to make that choice.
I know this is a drawn out way to explain what I'm thinking. But, because so many people my age are contemplating relationships and are getting in them. Its important for me to get the baseline. God creates good things that deserve to be taken care of. Relationships take a lot of effort and caring. Being in one, changes the way we relate to God personally. Therefore, when considering them its important to remember where we are with God and how we can best serve the person we might choose. For me, I know in my heart that if God plans to bless me with the choice of a few plants..I'm going to take a good long look at which one I could be sure to take care of wholeheartedly for the rest of my life.
This in analogy to me is a lot like relationships. Sometimes thinking about being with another person in a lifelong commitment of growth and development in relationship with God and one another can seem intimidating. However, it is clear that God places us in these gardens when we are ready. Some of us may chose to pass right through the garden and not take a plant home. Others may chose the rose plants and be dedicated to one another in building each other up completely in the love that God blesses them with. Even still, others may chose the mums working hard independently yet, together to enhance the life God has called them to.
I guess after really contemplating my thoughts I've realized that we are shown many beautiful things here on earth to give us the smallest glimpse of what all of God's beauty will someday be like. However, in deciding if a relationship is right...its dependent on our own personal characteristics. Building the best kind of relationship starts with knowing the gardener personally. If we know how the gardener cares for all of his plants and have experienced it personally in our lives, it becomes that much more beautiful when we do decide to care for another one of his creations. However, because he wants us to put the maximal effort in caring for this person we have to be truly ready in our hearts, minds, and spirits for this to take place. The choice we make as to which person is best suited is influenced by God's design of us. I'm sure that we will know when it is best to make that choice.
I know this is a drawn out way to explain what I'm thinking. But, because so many people my age are contemplating relationships and are getting in them. Its important for me to get the baseline. God creates good things that deserve to be taken care of. Relationships take a lot of effort and caring. Being in one, changes the way we relate to God personally. Therefore, when considering them its important to remember where we are with God and how we can best serve the person we might choose. For me, I know in my heart that if God plans to bless me with the choice of a few plants..I'm going to take a good long look at which one I could be sure to take care of wholeheartedly for the rest of my life.