So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time, we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view, How differently we know him now! (2 Corinthians 5:16)Do you remember the first time you ever saw the girl who would become your wife? Maybe you fell in love immediately, as I did. Maybe you weren’t impressed by her. Maybe she was just one of many.
Now that you have been married for over forty years, you see her automatically when you enter a room. You know all about her, what she likes, what she dislikes, what she thinks. You have talked to her a million times, made love to her, held her while she cried, laughed with her – you know her intimately.
In fact, you know her so well, it is hard to go back to when you saw her the first time. Others can see her for the first time now, but not you.
So it is with Jesus. He has been a part of my life for more than 51 years. I see others come into contact with him for the first time and they are so excited. To them it is a brand new relationship. To me it is an old familiar relationship.
The problem comes when you want the new again. Why can’t I feel like I did when I was first converted to Jesus, or when the Spirit first came into my heart, you ask.
But the problem is, you can’t.
A lot of married couples have this desire to reclaim the excitement of first meeting, of their honeymoon night, or talking to someone they barely know. But you have been with this woman for over 40 years. You cannot go back to the beginning.
You can rediscover. That you can do. You can rekindle and renew. But you have been too long together to pretend it is the first time.
We want the mountaintop experiences that come from the newness of something. That is natural. But at the same time, we want the maturity that comes from knowing someone so well.
As exciting as the first part of our marriage was, we had a lot of disagreements as to how we would live and be together. Our relationship is so much easier now. We sit together quietly and are good friends now.
The same with God. I have been with God so long, I know him and his word so well, that I can be comfortable with him. Yes, he is God and is unpredictable, and I never want to take him for granted, but at the same time there comes a point in any relationship where it becomes familiar.
I know my wife now. I know Jesus now. Both are long time relationships that I treasure.
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