FAITH & FIREWORKS | and all that falls between

"If you ask me, we make too much of worldly love. I like it as a metaphor, but making too much of love is like trying not to be where tree falls in the forest so you can hear it, its like chasing a leprechaun..."

I read this in a book recently by one of my favorite authors. He is talking about the end of a recent relationship... the flood of thoughts when you begin to realize that things just aren't right- aren't going to work- no matter how much effort you put in- no matter how hard you try- he states that;

"in the end, my girlfriend and I put too much pressure on each other because we both thought the other person was going to be our savior. We thought the other person was Jesus."

Validation: We seek self validation in our relationships. We pressure those we love and care about most to fill us up- to complete us- to be the sun to shine in the shadows of our souls. WHO could fulfill such an immense pressure? Most relationships will crack under this sort of strain.

It's a difficult balance- where passion meets faith. Out of six billion people we would assume its easy to meet someone who inspires us to grow in our relationship with God and Jesus, but someone who also sends sparks through our very existence? Where do we even begin looking for such a person? Does someone like this exist, and if they do, will they only come around once in a lifetime?

That's exactly what I'm looking for! To feel the spark of passion- of excitement- it takes the ability and openness to take a risk.

The risk of opening myself up to someone new.. the risk of letting that person know the parts of me I keep hidden... the excitement.. the thrill.. the hope.. the spark... the fireworks!!!

The moments spent together that when added up equal a relationship: Praying together, laughing together, brushing away an eyelash from a cheek, reading out loud to each other till four in the morning, giving someone else a little of your load when life gets hard, challenging each other when stubbornness builds walls around your 'opinions'.

Growing. Through pain- loss- happiness- wisdom- honesty- failures- creativity- understanding- triumphs- communication- attraction- inspiration!

Finding God together: Whether from within the walls of a church, or the way light wraps itself through barren trees on a a clear winters day. Finding God by being there for each other through the frustration of a bad day, or through the loss of a parent, a friend, a job, a goldfish, a houseplant... Finding God in a smile, in a laugh, in a song lyric, in a book, in a guitar chord, in the beauty of one wrinkled hand locked in loving embrace with another.. Finding God in the beauty of life.. in the strength of sharing that life with another person, and in the confidence it takes to do so. 

Finding God in faith and in fireworks and in all that falls between.

I dont think this is a choice about one or the other. I dont think that this has to be a choice to only embrace Gods love or only seek validation in the worldly love of another human. I do get it, what the author is saying. I understand the pressures we place on each other- the pressures we put on love and I'm as guilty as everyone. For me, however, its about finding a balance, a complimenting force- one thing, building up the other - one love to strengthen another. Nothing less. Finding God in another person. And finding love in God. There is true validation.