It's Complicated

If you're familiar at all with Facebook or other social media, you probably already identified the context of the title to today's column. It is one of the ways in which we describe our relationship "status": It's complicated.So, if you choose to play along, you get to check the box that best describes your relational category: "single," "married," "in a relationship," or..."it's complicated."

We understand what they're trying to say--or perhapsnotsay--but I do believe there's a little redundancy in those options. For those of us who are married, or in a relationship of any kind, we know that they are all verycomplicated.

And no, this is not intended to be a column to talk aboutValentine's Day, coming up in just four days. (Guys, consider yourself reminded; you can thank me later.) Most of us of the male persuasion realize we are very much out of our league when it comes to all things related to dear St. Valentine.

However, as we have been teaching through our Sunday morning group on marriage recently, I have been reminded more and more how complicated relationships can really be. Though we may not actually be from Mars and Venus, as one author once described it, we still sometimes seem pretty alien in the way we communicate (or don't), and how we relate to one another (or don't).

Of course, the difficulties of relating to one another aren't confined just to relationships between husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, or even suitor andsuitee.I was reminded this week in a couple of conversations how complicated many relationships are between parents and their children--even grown children--and between siblings, and friends, and co-workers, and neighbors. And the list goes on and on.

All that said, the good news today is that there is at least one relationship we all can have that is not so very complicated, as much as we sometimes would like to try to make it so. We can relate to God in the simplest of ways, heart to heart, without any question of motives, and always with the knowledge that we are infinitely and unconditionally loved.

Jesus Christ came to give His life to pay the penalty of our sin, and to tear down any wall that sin and man-made religion had built between us and God. He demonstrated God's infallible love for us, and cleared the way for us to experience an authentic, intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father that isn't full of confusion, distractions...or complications.

Quite simply, as a recent song reminds us, "He loves us....oh, how He loves us."

May your life be secure in the uncomplicated, unconditional love of God today, through His Son Jesus, and may you experience the fullness of what that relationship means. I'm praying for you, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

--Pastor Ken

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