Relational Wholeness

Read: Genesis 2: 18-24

Humans are social creatures. This shouldn’t surprise you - psychological studies have pretty much validated the fact that we need each other. There is simply this something within us that desires companionship. It was something that was evident from the very beginning. Even though there were so many animals to name, Adam was still very much alone. These were, after all, not humans.

So God created Eve. And, as verse 23 shows, Adam was - shall we say - thrilled with her. Finally! Here is someone who he could truly identify with, walk with, do things together with, love! They could share meals together meaningfully (try doing that with a lion). In other words, Adam is no longer alone, having found a wholeness to his identity in Eve.

Unfortunately, as many of you might guess, sin has taken apart this wholeness. Thus, we are forced to find wholeness in all the wrong places. Sometimes, it gets pretty sickening. Take for example the story of a Japanese guy - who’s name is Sal9000. Last year, he decided to pop the question to his girlfriend, Nene Anegasaki. What’s strange is that Nene is a character from a Nintendo DS relationship game. Most of our relationships are probably not that ... ridiculous, shall we say. But do we find wholeness in other things that are not quite so ridiculous?

It would be awkward for me not to address the white elephant in the room while thinking about this passage: dating/marriage. It is natural to desire a close companionship - there’s no shame in that. But it’s hard to keep this desire from evolving into lust when we see our peers at school holding hands with their significant others. Whether or not the relationship is truly based on love is something I question. I can say that because in the Church fellowship is a web of mutual relationships that is based on agape love, the highest love that God calls us to embody in our lives!

The relationship between each of us at church is the same relationship that exists between brothers and sisters. There is no love closer than that. As my mom has often said when I was young whenever I argued with my brothers, “Henry, you must sacrifice for your brothers, because you all came into this world from my belly!” So likewise must love our brothers and sisters in Christ - because every first Sunday of the month, we observe communion, the powerful symbol of this relationship. Are we that kind of a Church? Do we truly regard each other as brothers and sisters? Or just close friends? Perhaps if we truly loved each other, we would not struggle to find a relational wholeness in the wrong places.

In talking to a few seminary folk, I’ve noticed that many churches are struggling with similar issues. Many Christians are finding wholeness in things that are fundamentally of this world. But we see the dangers of it in 1 John 2: 15-17. “If anyone loves the world,” cautions John, “the love of the Father is not in him.”
So in the next few minutes, just reflect on your life. Pause and put away your homework, take a shower, sit down, pause and reflect: is there something or even someone of this world that you’re trying to pursue in order to have wholeness? I completely encourage you to maybe get together with your discipleship mentor and just talk about this. Is there something of this world you’re going after instead of Jesus Christ? But go further - reflect on your church. Are we, as the youth group, truly pursuing wholeness? Do we take seriously the fact that we all are brothers and sisters, who are related to each other by Jesus Christ?

“O Lord, you have made Man so that he should delight to praise Thee, for Thou has made us for Thyself and our hearts are restless until it comes to rest in Thee.” Let these words of St. Augustine ring true in our lives.