Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”… Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:18, 24-25
Christians have a complex relationship with sex, don’t we? While most of us would agree on an intellectual level that sex is good and healthy in the context of marriage, any mention of it in real life strikes discomfort and perhaps shame into our hearts. For so many of us, sexuality is seen as something to be avoided or managed, rarely something to be examined, much less embraced. But that doesn’t seem to be what the Bible says. The opening chapters of the Bible point to humanity’s deep need for connection and intimate relationship, as well as a lack of shame (Genesis 2:18, 24-25). There’s even an entire book of the Bible dedicated to romantic love (Song of Songs). Maybe we’re asking the wrong question. Before we ask, “what do we do with sexuality?” we should ask, “what hardwiring does sexuality point us to and how do we steward that well, no matter our relationship status?”
Let’s go back to God’s statement in Genesis: “it’s not good that man should be alone.” What does he do next? Create another person! And not just so Adam can have a co-worker, but so that Adam can be deeply known in a unique way. Part of what it means to be human is to have this desire to be known in an intimate way. This doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone needs to be in a marriage relationship. After all, Jesus was single and Paul advocates for singleness! But it does imply that the deep desire for connection and to be known is inherent in every person.
Reflect on your own heart today. Where do you see this deep longing for connection with other people show up in your life? Where do you see this deep longing for God manifest in your life? How are you trying to satisfy those longings? If you want to take this a step further than reflection, try reaching out to someone today. Invite them to coffee, dinner, or just send a text to say hello.
By Jessica Rust
