Thursday, June 6, 2013

The Blind Date

We all know what a blind date is. Perhaps you were on one once. I have never been.


In fact, I wasn't much of a dating person to begin with. I always tell people that my wife, Mary, was the second person I ever dated. Once I met her, I knew almost instantly that she was going to be my wife. I realize that not everyone is that "lucky." But I digress.

Blind dates.

I am not sure what brought this to mind, I think I was watching some show on TV that had an example of a blind date and it made me think of the process to which people set themselves up for.

You know how it works. A friend recommends to a friend that that friend should get to know another friend of theirs. Sooner or later, the two meet - in a blind fashion. In other words, the two don't really know much about each other. 

In the "old days" before social media and the web, friends would just have to trust their friends to point them in the right direction. "Trust me. This person is perfect for you." Now, folks can "stalk" someone on social channels to at least get a picture.

This is where it gets a little weird. For friends don't know friends really that well. Or, none of us really know each other deep enough.

Which got me thinking. There was a courtship that happened a few years ago.  You remember that Jesus, in all of His holiness, looked upon us, in all of our sin* and said, "Yes, she is the one for me."

And the wild thing about this is the fact that it wasn't a blind date. He came to us knowing everything about us. Everything. EVERYTHING! He in fact knows us better than we know ourselves.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

I praise God for the beautiful promises of Romans 5! 

*I need to point out that I summed up everything that is wrong with us in a little word. Sin. That word carries so much to it. Click on this link to find a list of sins - over 600 in length.