THE TAKEAWAY:

Your love and affection for another person is only as strong as your loyalty and patience for them

MESSAGE:

Batman meets Catwoman on a rooftop.

Batman: I think we can rekindle this relationship. We need to both work on ourselves to make it work.

Catwoman: I agree, and being honest about our future will be important.

Batman: Fine, perfect. I will start. I will always be obsessed with truth, justice, and the vanquishing of the criminal underworld.

Catwoman: I just robbed three jewelry stores and drained the bank account of a billionaire named Bruce Wayne.

Batman: (gritting teeth) Ooooookay. This relationship might not work out.

Relationships can be very complicated, especially when people bring their faults and flaws into them. Dating websites are adamant about matching turn-offs and turn-ons so there are fewer problems in the relationship. The current divorce rate in America proves there is no perfect formula for matching people perfectly.

The scriptures see relationships from a different angle. Your love and affection for another person is only as strong as your loyalty and patience for them. As the Proverbs tell us, a friend loves at ALL TIMES, and a brother is born for ADVERSITY. Whether platonic or romantic, adversity in relationships cannot be avoided. The only solution is to tough out speed bumps in a relationship. Sacrifice and patience are required, and without those qualities, you can never show true love. Jesus wants us to extend this to our enemies, too.

The perfect role model for a friend is Jesus, who gave his life for us in exchange for our worst qualities. If we can learn to be more like him, we are on the right road.

FIGURE IT OUT:

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Proverbs 17:17

But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

  1. Circle some keywords or phrases that are significant to you. What makes them important?
  2. What do you imagine God has to tolerate/bear in order to have a good relationship with us?
  3. Which adversities do you think is worth bearing to keep a relationship? Which ones are deal breakers?
  4. How do you prepare yourself to be more patient and consistent in tougher relationships?

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