Divine Matchmaker: One (part 5 of 5)

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24)

In regards to my previous comment about “Heaven...” being, “…better than sex”, I feel I need to explain a little further. Sex is one of the most beautiful things that God created. The intimacy, the union, the connectedness that we can experience, however sublime, is but a hint of the “oneness” that we’ll experience in Heaven, just as any thing good in all of creation is a hint, a “copy and shadow of the heavenly things”[1]. I realize that 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him, but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.” [2] And though, admittedly “I know in part”, and “see” things but “through a glass darkly”[3], yet I have an idea, a vague notion, an inkling that the best we can ever have here on earth pales in comparison to what’s in store for us in Heaven. Why else would marriage (that institution in which God intended this gift to be shared and enjoyed), the most profound, intimate and important of relationships (next to God) we could ever experience here on earth, be discontinued in Heaven? [3a] Likewise, I believe that our relationships in Heaven will be vastly different and so much better than what we can ever have here on earth. I imagine the difference between our relationships on earth and our relationships in heaven to be sort of like the difference between “making mud pies in a slum”[4] and making sand castles at the beach. I believe that the romantic, carnal love we experience here on earth, however exquisite and wonderful, is a poor copy of the love and union that we’ll enjoy in Heaven. Have you ever been unable to fully communicate your heart, finding frustration in the impotence of words to convey your soul, even finding the faculty of language a hindrance to communication? So, then, we now have a space, where there once was none, a seemingly interminable gap, however minute a distance, which nonetheless results in miscommunication, misunderstanding, and mistakes; leading to dismay, discord and the dissolution of a friendship. Even in the best earthly relationships, romantic or otherwise, there remains room for misunderstanding, fear, insecurity, doubts, and imperfections, of varying degrees depending on the maturity of the individuals, albeit, less so with your soul-mate. But, in Heaven, ALL that falls by the way side. We’ll be so one with each other, so unified, honest, no fear or insecurity, without agendas, manipulations, intrigues, schemes or ulterior motives, no 'office politics' or popularity contests, no cunning, coquetry or coyness, totally real, without façade, forthright and transparent so that ALL the fig leaves are stripped away, yet we’ll be without shame – innocent –“…they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”[5] Deep down, I believe that’s what the soul really wants and longs for – oneness with God and others - “…that they may be one, even as (nb) we are one.”[6] I yearn for that communion. So, if for some reason I should miss out on a chance at earthly happiness, I realize that what awaits us in Heaven far surpasses what we can ever have here on earth. So do I always maintain this eternal perspective? Am I, then, immune to feminine beauty and charm? Absolutely not! I’m "...a man subject to like passions”[7] as any other man. Just last summer, while on vacation in California, at an amusement park, I was "bemused", taken aback, pleasantly perplexed as my attention was riveted by a breath-taking vision of an “angel” causing my heart to skip and my pulse to race - all while inspiring a desperate urge to meet her. Men, in particular, are visual creatures, and I admit I’m one susceptible to infatuations; a character defect I didn’t realize was a major flaw until recently. I’ve made mistakes in my attempts to discover my “soul mate”, leaning on my own understanding, and walking according to the flesh. Big enough mistakes as a matter of fact, that I’ve finally broken down and am having the Master Mechanic inspect my “soul mate GPS system”. I hope it doesn’t cost too much more to fix. It’s already cost me a friendship.

He felt now that he was not simply close to her, but that he did not know where he ended and she began. ~ Leo Tolstoy

My life is brilliant.My love is pure.I saw an angel.Of that I'm sure. (Beautiful, James Blunt)

Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart. - Anonymous

No one can understand love who has not experienced infatuation. And no one can understand infatuation, no matter how many times he has experienced it. ~Mignon McLaughlin

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9 NIV)

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one, I hope some day you’ll join us, and the word will live as one” (Imagine, John Lennon)

“One life, With each other, Sisters, Brothers One life, But we're not the same, We get to Carry each other, Carry each other…One” (One, U2)

"And when I awoke, And felt you warm and near, I kissed your honey hair, With my grateful tears..." (For Emily Whenever I May Find Her, Simon & Garfunkel)

“I wish I had the gift of making rhymes, for methinks there is poetry in my head and heart since I have been in love with you.” ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, letter to wife Sophia, 5 December 1839

At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet. – Plato

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[1] Hebrews 8:5

[2] 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

[3] 1 Corinthians 13:12 King James Version (KJV)

[3a] Luke 20:34,35 KJ

[4] The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis

[5] Genesis 2:25

nb note bene, fr. Italian, meaning note well

[6] John 17:11

[7] James 5:17