liftoff

One of the cool things about being married is the way my relationship with my wife is developing. Although we grew a lot together while dating and being engaged for the last two years, the last (nearly) two months have really accelerated aspects of how we relate to one another. These relational aspects have, in turn, had a transformational impact on us both as individuals and as a married couple. 

One small thing that I've noticed is how our greetings and salutations have changed now that we're married. Before text messages were definitely our thing. We'd text each other good morning, and then talk at night about how our days went. Now everything is much more direct: she's the first thing I see and say good morning to in the morning and the last person I speak to in person at night. And, although I can't put my finger on it, we as a couple before God are transforming because of this. We are just so connected now...I can't go to the office without feeling like I'm bringing a piece of her with me. 

On a related note (and this is what I'm wanting to get to today), I can't stress enough how important it has been to me to consciously develop the discipline of taking a few moments at the beginning of my day to thank God for his unconditional love for me. I'm shocked by how easy it is for me to not do this: it is just status quo for me (and I think most of us) to roll out of bed thinking about everything besides God and his love for us. Our minds are so in need of the refreshing of the Holy Spirit that if we ever do think about God it is by feeling guilty about things we've done or are doing wrong, or even feeling resentful at him as we look at how we've been unable to meet his standards and assume that he is judging us for it. 

To fight this we must engage in the discipline of greeting God every morning, no matter how childish or meaningless it may feel. This boils down to how connected greetings and relationships are: by saying good morning to God and reminding ourselves of his unconditional love for us through Jesus Christ, we are declaring "yes" to a relationship with him, and this is an act with powerful implications. Connecting with God first before we plug ourselves into anything else rewires our souls for what they were originally meant for: a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. 

Let me close by pointing us back to the image at the top of the post. It's a Saturn V rocket, the most powerful engine ever built by humankind. As powerful as a Saturn V rocket is, however, it has a single guiding element upon which its entire operation hinges: Newton's Third Law of motion, "to every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction." Without an engine built around this single element, the rocket would go nowhere. 

For humans in general, and Christians specifically, there are many elements and factors that call for our attention. We find ourselves distracted and somewhat shallowed out. But there is just one thing that really matters, one thing our of which all of the worthwhile things in the world flow out of: our relationship to God through Jesus Christ. Cultivate this relationship, start your day by grounding yourself in God's unconditional love for you. Say good morning to Him...and receive his greeting back.