the office

this week i took my day off and watched season 2 of "the office" on dvd with a good friend. i never realized how much that show revolves around jim and pam. sure, michael is the ego-extradonaire, who attempts to dominate all focus (he's a lot like us, huh?) but really, aren't we watching it for the real-deal, the secondary-plot . . . the romance? everybody connects to that. it's kind of like we're wired that way. the crossing is doing a series on the whole relationship-thing right out of the bible's steamy-ist book, the Song of Solomon. this past week was both affirming and a gut-check. the bible has a lot to say about sexual relationships, and where they fit into our lives. i love that the bible is so timeless, and speaks to every era. i love that it affirms sexual desire as a natural part of how we were made. it's always been a struggle for me but i love how the bible lays out clear guidelines for how to guard my heart from the scars that come along with sex outside the boundaries that protect me. it's hard to hear that sex outside of marriage is never God's plan. . . cause that goes against natural instinct and everything we see, read and hear from media. but then again, maybe God's guidelines are an introduction to an even greater relationship . . . and the way back to innocence, the way back to healing, the way back to being able to trust someone, the way to know that this act is sacred--saved--for one person . . . because there's safety in that and so much love. i have to constantly remind myself that cultural views of sex (even in beloved jim and pam's relationship) aren't God's views. still something in me resonates deeply with the courtship process, like navigating the obstacles(and hopefully the boundaries) makes the discovery of love that much sweeter.