What are you hoping for? Meaning? Satisfaction? Fulfillment?
Relationships are messy. Intimacy is something we all desire and yet conflicts break down the relationships we have sought so hard to build. We seek fulfillment in relationships but find them wanting.
Joanne Liaw writes on the Relationships Seminar held at St Mary’s Cathedral on 25 Sept 2016.
Introduction
On a Sunday afternoon, a 3-hour seminar on relationships for 50 women and 39 men was held concurrently in different rooms. The former was led by Judi Cheah and the latter by Andy Ng.
Relationships by the Book
God has designed us for relationships. When God created the first man, Adam, He said “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper fit for him.” So God created the first woman, Eve. Adam and Eve lived in perfect relationship with each other and their Creator.
But what went wrong? Adam and Eve disobeyed and rejected God by eating the forbidden fruit. Since then, humanity has suffered from fractured relationships with each other and with God. But God sent Jesus Christ, our Bridegroom, to redeem us, His Bride, from our sin and to restore our relationship with Him. Human marriages are beautiful models of the ultimate Marriage between Christ and His Church.
Marriage, Dating, and Singleness
As little girls, our ideas of marriage have been greatly influenced by Disney’s cartoons. As adults, the hard reality hits us – Prince Charming does not exist! The man we have dated or married is nothing like our picture perfect Prince Charming. Maybe some of us are single and tired of waiting for such a man.
Andy and Judi talked about the struggles, loneliness and unmet desires of single men and women. In 1 Corinthians 7:25-35, Paul considered both marriage and singleness as gifts from God and we are to be content and serve God in whatever relationship status we are in. However, being single gives us the privilege of wholehearted devotion to God.
Andy gave practical tips on who to date, when to start dating and how dating couples should start working towards marriage. Judi emphasised that marriage is between a man and a woman and it is God who defines marriage not society. Since marriage is for life, choose carefully!
Conclusion
Many participants felt that the seminar was very good in helping them to think critically and practically about marriage from a Christian perspective, and how to respond to their current season in life – whether single, dating or married.
We are afraid of being lonely without marriage, but God has given us a community in Christ. Above all, God has given us fulfillment in Christ, our perfect Husband, who laid down His life to sanctify us, His Beloved Bride.