The not-so-single missionary’s guide to meeting a spouse?

I’m certainly no expert on relationships of the dating variety, especially since my experience is limited to less than a week official and a few more weeks unofficial. But I’m beginning to think that it’s a lot like climbing mountains and a relationship with God.

They’re not safe. They’re worth it, but will sometimes knock you off your feet with surprise. There are points of fear and exhaustion and exhilaration and wonder and complete trust. When you say yes to climbing a mountain or a relationship with God, you don’t know where it will lead. You might have a vague idea (or a plan), but it rarely happens the way you expected. The only way to really survive is to be all in and trust that God is the one holding you.

Sometimes you think you’re going to be climbing one mountain then find out that it’s a lot different or an entirely different mountain than the one you expected. It’s a whole lot higher or longer or windier or older than the one you expected to climb, but the climb and the view are even more spectacular than you ever imagined. God does the same thing to us. We imagine him one way, but then he surprises us with a history and a future that we never even realized before. And the present is even more glorious than we thought it would be.

The difference between all of these is that you don’t have to worry about your relationship with God not working out. You can’t really break up with God. I tried once and it didn’t work. And trying to break up with a mountain just leaves you broken or stranded. The nice thing about a relationship that starts out with a clear purpose and focus on God is that the future unknown can be a whole lot less frightening.

I’m still stuck thinking about mountains. Kirk and I semi-officially decided that we’re going to go hiking weekly, rain or shine, snow or famine, black flies or earthquakes . . . we’re sort of like the postal service. I guess that’s what we all want our relationships to be: rain or shine, snow or famine, good times and bad. I think it’s called unconditional love.

~ by bemis on 16 May 2009.