Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
- Psalm 119:105 -
When I look at the landscape of life and love in many people today, I see fear, pride, and lust.
- It’s the fear of missing out (#FOMO) or making a mistake or losing opportunities in life.
- In others, it’s pride — the insistence to live life on their own terms so no one can threaten their freedom of expression.
- In many, I also see lust. Why commit to love someone emotionally if you can just use them physically?
Fear, pride, and lust are root causes or “drivers” of many problems that eventually hijack relationships. None of these drivers have love as their aim.
Fear closes off and withdraws, but love opens up and gives freely. Pride will not tolerate the risk of exposing one’s self to another, but love risks vulnerability for the sake of the other person. Lust tells the other person you only want the parts you can use, but love embraces the whole person — on his or her best and worst days.
Fear, lust, and pride have become deeply embedded in our culture today. Generations are lost at sea, unsure how to navigate the currents of love and avoid the pitfalls of fear, lust, and pride. They are adrift, battered by the wind and waves.
As long as fear, lust, and pride are steering your relationship, you will be sailing away from healthy love. These things will swallow you up into isolation or create shallow relationships that do not honor God.
Our relationships are much like ships and are not easily maneuvered, but there are two simple, small tools that keep ships heading in the right direction and stable through storms.
One is the ship’s rudder, which guides it through the tidal currents of the world. It doesn't matter where the tide has come from or where it’s going, the rudder keeps the ship on track. Christ’s Word is your rudder in life. Regardless of the changing beliefs and opinions of society, Christ’s Word will continue guiding you in the right direction (Psalm 119:105).
The second is the ship’s anchor. It keeps the ship grounded in the fiercest of storms. Your hope in Christ is your anchor in life (Hebrews 6:19) that will bring stability, protection, and assurance through all seasons of life, especially through stormy trials.