I love the theme of the inner life journey as an ever-deepening romance.
Some people have a difficult time with the term "romance" in conjunction with deity. This is understandable if we think of the word in terms of the erotic or sensual. But if we can take the word to a new level, sacred romance speaks of the powerfully passionate heart of God who invites humans into a level of intimacy and relationship that is staggering. When our hearts become intimate with a passionate God we will, at times, respond with a fervor that can only be described by the language of passionate love.
One of my favorite contemporary books is Sacred Romance, by John Edlredge. He explains why we long for intimacy with God and why this intimacy is laced with powerful love emotions:
"The Trinity is at the center of the universe; perfect relationship is the heart of all reality. Think of your best moments of love or friendship or creative partnership, the best times with family or friends around the dinner table, your richest conversations, the acts of simple kindness that sometimes seem like the only things that make life worth living. Like the shimmer of sunlight on a lake, these are reflections of the love that flows among the Trinity. We long for intimacy because we are made in the image of perfect intimacy."
We are made for the same powerful love emotions (romance) that flow within the Godhead. This is why those who pursue God deeply end up using love language to describe (in mere shadow form) what they are experiencing in God.
John of the Cross speaks of coming to a place in prayer where there is a "burning of love" to the point that one is "dying with love of Him." Teresa of Avila speaks of ecstatic experiences with the "Spouse that remain so deeply engraven in the memory that I think it is impossible for the soul to forget them until it is enjoying them for ever."
This may be more than we can grasp, but it can point us to a place in our own prayers where we begin to look for the love emotion that our hearts are made for as we relate with God.
I may be just warming up to this theme. Let's see where it goes. One thing I know... God pours His love out into my heart (Romans 5:5) and the more my heart and emotions become awakened and engaged as I relate to God, the more powerfully I wll experience Him.
(Inner Journey is an interactive daily devotional. Feel free to post comments!)
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