Deep conversations, Knee Deep Manure

What does a Godly man look like? What does a Godly woman
look like?  Certainly we could attribute
certain characteristics and infer certain ‘requirements’, so to speak, of what
that person may look like, but could a concrete definition of a Godly man and
woman be asserted? Poets, Psalmists, writers, lyricists and great minds have
tried to capture the essence of what it means for mankind to embody the
almighty living God since the beginning of time. Some may have captured some,
if only a fracture, of what it looks like to embody God but it is utterly
impossible to capture to the full essence of something, or Someone rather, who
is beyond human’s ability of comprehension. Even in that, each and every
individual displays characteristics drastically differently. The slightest
differences on a subatomic level will amplify throughout our very being causing
vast variations in our very existence as humans. Something as simple as an ‘X’
chromosome substituted for a ‘Y’ chromosome in a person’s 23^rd DNA
strand would change a ‘he’ to a ‘she’. The complexities of our physical bodies
reflect the complexity of our spiritual beings.

In recent days in the farmlands of western Thailand such
topics of conversation have allured countless thought-provoking ideas, theories
and discussions amongst the twenty-two men of our squad. Even though we all
have different ages, experiences, education, strengths, weaknesses, giftings, lifestyles
and backgrounds we share countless commonalties. The utmost being our
relationship with the living God and our desire for more of Him in each of our
lives. We each desire to draw nearer to Him, to dwell with Him, to talk to Him,
to praise Him, to worship Him, to love Him as He loves us. We hail the King of
the Jews, Jesus Christ, and bow before Him as faithful servants. We marvel at
Christ’s ability to live a perfect life free of sin, and we desire to follow
His narrow path He has set before us. We rely on His strength to survive, not
our own. The Christ inside of each one of us cries out to the Christ in the
other, encouraging, inspiring, teaching and molding our hearts and minds.

The daily, mundane, manual labor we are taking part in this
month has fostered a great environment for conversation while working out on
the farm.  Of course, given a set amount
of time, conversations between men inevitably turns toward the ever elusive opposite
sex. Great points have been made about our takes on what a Godly woman looks
like. Something I have really taken and held onto was the idea that a man and
woman prospecting a long-term relationship need to come to an agreement on
standards. A simple example: a man desires to marry a woman who works out to
keep her physique, but the man is not willing to work out himself. No one may
hold a standard for the opposite sex that they are not willing to keep
themselves. In a Christian relationship, standards are vital for a successful
relationship. The utmost standard for the opposite sex is being a relationship
with the living God and a desire for more of Him.

Pressure is instantly relieved from either side of the party
as both male and female counterparts realize that they each must love God more
than they love one another. He is the One bringing them together and sustaining
them. With this being said, God has conveyed His standards for relationships
that must be abided by. No sex before marriage. Could it be a cruel rule
enacted because God desires to watch us suffer in our abstinence? Not quite. He
understands that sex leads to consequences, procreation being one of them. I do
not desire to indulge in statistics about orphans, one-parent raised children
and abortions to convey a point on why sex is not acceptable outside of
marriage. I’d like to highlight a standard that couples need consider before
marriage. If God has decreed no sex before marriage, then what constitutes as
sex? As humans abiding by rules, we desire to get as close to ‘the line’ as we
can before we break the rule. We find loopholes and excuses to tip-toe along
the edge of what is acceptable. Hugging the line between following God and
sinning is not what God desires at all, he desires that we are a thousand feet
away from the line. Jesus says that lusting after a woman in your mind
constitutes as adultery. What if kissing your fiance caused your mind to lust
after her? Would you be willing to forgo nearly all physical affection until
the wedding bells ring to honor your to-be-wife? Would she be God fearing
enough to agree with you and help you through the process?