Longing for Acceptance

Of the many friendships I formed during my South Africa mission trip, one in particular was quite unexpected. It involves a sales clerk at a store in the local mall.

I visited this store fairly regularly and this guy was always very friendly and chatty. One day he asked what had brought me to South Africa. I explained my short-term mission work and took that opportunity to invite him to the church I was attending, which is located right next to the mall. He said no thanks, he doesn’t do organized religion. I told him that I really don’t either, that I have a personal relationship with God that goes beyond what many think of as mere religion. I invited him to meet for coffee one morning the following week if he would be interested in hearing more about that, and he said that he would.

The night before the agreed-upon meeting, I got a text message from my friend.(Nearly everyone relies heavily on texting there, as it’s considerably cheaper than voice calls.) He was feeling dishonest about his intentions and wondering if we should cancel our plans. “You see, I like you, but not in the way that you might think,” he wrote. After exchanging several more text messages – I also tried calling him to talk further, but I think he was too embarrassed to answer – we ultimately wound up not meeting.

The point of this story is not that I can go all the way to Africa and find a guy who likes me even though I can’t find a girl here in my own country. (Although I do find that amusing.) Setting aside any debate about homosexuality, the point is that people everywhere desire meaningful relationships - and that's a desire that only God can truly fulfill.

As I told my friend, don’t put your hope in men (or women, for that matter), because we humans always let each other down. He texted back, “Doesn’t God want me to share my love with someone?” Yes, in fact, God does want every one of us to share our love. But not in the way the world thinks. God wants us to share our love with Him, because He desires a personal relationship with us. Jesus said it: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." That’s the kind of love that brings true, lasting joy, regardless of whether one is in a long-term relationship with someone else.

The God who created the entire universe, the God who reigns over all of life and death – that same God lives in me and fellowships with me and never fails me or abandons me. Even though it is on a spiritual level, my relationship with God is just as real as when I sit and talk to someone face to face. So even if I never marry the girl of my dreams, I know I have God Himself by my side, both in this life and in the life to come. And I hope my friend in Cape Town finds such a relationship with God, too.