Relationships Do Matter

The power of a story lies in it’s ability to draw parallels with our own life stories. This story captures the danger of compromise, the disappointment of assumption and the avoidable pain of deceiving oneself. Read and do share your comment. Remember Relationships Do Matter. Abel and Tania were the perfect couple-to-be. She was the fellowship’s treasurer and he was in charge of Sunday School. Brothers and sisters alike looked up to them and emulated them. However, there was an attraction between them neither could control. Abel knew he loved her deeply like his own flesh but could not understand why his body reacted to her the way it did. He had never known a woman in his life and had always avoided ‘X- rated’ stuff. The deep feeling was also true for Tania. Tania had told him she had sexual relationships with two different men before she gave her life to Christ, and he had accepted that as part of what may be totally unavoidable. After all, we were all new creatures in Christ and old things had passed away, he consoled himself and assured her. However, when he realized his emotions were beginning to get out of hand, he spoke out to Tania. At first, his complaint came as a mere protest and rebuke for his unholy desires. When she however confirmed the feelings she also had, he decided they had to do something about it. They both agreed they had to find a way of easing off the ‘tension.’So started the hugs and kisses. For him it was a totally new experience. A totally new experience he came to welcome and look forward to. After all, he loved her and he needed to express it. Gradually, they both independently gave reasons why they needed to express the ‘love’ more and more to themselves. The first reason was the deep love they had for each other and the desire to please each other. The second reason was the promise to marry one another in the nearest possible time and a third reason was the need to have a release ‘so that they could concentrate’ on the things of God. They completely missed the true definition of love as it is in 1Cor.13. One evening, as they were together alone in his apartment, watching a documentary, her beauty overwhelmed him and he pulled her into his arms. They simply felt a need to feel each other. Suddenly there was a power outage. Darkness enveloped them and they remained locked in each other’s arms, neither eager to break the serenity. He whispered his love for her and she whispered back affectionately. When he started to caress her, a little more intensely than ever before, she did not stop him. A few minutes later when power was restored, they were both half- naked but couldn’t be bothered. That night Abel and Tania had their fill of ‘love!’ It was the first of many to come. They both used preventives to caution themselves. They both told themselves they loved each other. They both told themselves it was right. Tania found herself ‘loving’ Abel more. He was so strong, and active and fun though his teachings had become shallow and empty to her. Abel to his sudden realization also felt being used. He no longer felt comfortable reading the Bible, how much more preparing Sunday school outlines and teaching the word of God and he also began to realize Tania craved intimacy more than fellowship. He told himself he had to stop having sex with Tania. To cap it all up, the sexual urges he had for Tania began to supersede the respect he had for her person. One day, after a ‘troubled’ session of lovemaking, Abel called the relationship off. He told Tania sincerely, that he could not bear to look her in the face, and palpably accused her of seducing him and luring him into sin. The most upsetting part was that Tania felt just as bad and full of accusations. They had a gruesome quarrel that brought their courtship to a ‘rude’ end.