What do we do with the relationship spaces in our life that feel unsatisfying?

"Kiss me—full on the mouth!

Smother me with kisses –

His spirit-kiss divine"

The intimacy of a full mouth kiss is actually quite confronting. This woman is so specific about it. She wants it all. She says exactly what she wants.

What do you want?

Do not hold back.

Say exactly what you want.

In every area of your life of love.

In our church service yesterday I taught the word called "Love is all we need" and really had a heart to communicate to people that it is important to bring your true needs and desires to God and others so then true healing can come. It was incredible again this weekend to hear where love matters so deeply to people. I taught on the four loves...

In friendships (phyllios)

In family (storge)

In fire love (eros)

In forever love (agape)

Love is experienced in all these different forms.

These areas trigger different responses depending on our stories and our journeys.

I am convinced that we generalise our dissatisfaction in the arena of love because we do not really get specific about the various relationship spaces in our lives and we merge them all together.

Linger for a moment today over these various relationship spaces. Think about your level of satisfaction in them. What would it take to move the dial just a little bit further.

How can we allow margins in our world to linger, margins to linger with our spouse, margins to linger with God, margins to linger with our children, our friends, our colleagues.

Slowing down.

Intentional pouring into people.

Saying what is true not what is right.

Kindness.

Extra-mile.

Looking-people-in-the-eye kind of connection.

Why does this feel rare?

The woman in Song of Songs desires real connection. But as you will see in this book we are studying, it is not just with this lover. She wants it in all her relationships.

Larry Crabb calls it a 'penetrating oneness':

“I don’t want us to sit in small groups and all face each other and outwardly look like we are connecting – arrange our bodies in a circle but our souls are facing away from one another.

I want us to talk with each other, not merely making conversation, but to make a difference, to be caught up in another sphere, the world of the Spirit, where first things are first and second things are second. I want us to experience a kind of oneness that makes us aware of whats best inside us and all the bad stuff that blocks its release – a penetrating oneness”

Larry Crabb, Soul Talk

I am praying for you and your relationships today.