thesoulpurposedotorg

“The the Lord God said, “it is not good that the man should be alone” Genesis 2:18

This quote is from the second version of the creation story found in the first two chapters of Genesis. This silliness in the US of attempting to require the teaching of Creationism in our public schools seems to me to entirely miss the point. Since there are two different stories right from the very beginning of the Bible, it seems to me that a literal interpretation of scripture distracts one from the deeper truths. The Bible is not a book of science but a window to the living Word of God.

One of the deeper truths of this scripture is the reality that we are not meant to live this life alone. On the surface, this is about the primary relationship of a man and a woman in marriage. But deeper than that, is our need as human beings for one another, for being a part of a community of people in order to be whole. The holiday seasons of Christmas and Thanksgiving particularly heighten this need.

I love to be with my family in all its assorted forms and at the same time, my family is as neurotic and frustrating as any other. When I was younger, I was always trying to fix my family, to make it reflect a beauty and normalcy only seen in a Norman Rockwell picture. It has taken most of my life to get past that. Now I’m just thankful for whatever time I have with any part of my family.

I think a key to true relationship is the ability to notice with interest and respect the differences and to choose to love. It is only when I have learned to not expect anyone to be anything other than who they are that my loneliness began to turn into joy and friendships have become jewels to treasure rather than problems to fix. At our core, we are not meant to walk this life alone. It has taken me well past middle age to understand and experience the treasure of freindship. To each of you who have extended your grace and kind love to me, I thank you.