Metaphor

We use mostly metaphors as we talk about God. We say he is our rock, our father, etc. But he's neither sedimentary nor igneous; he has in no way slept with our mothers (unless we are Mormons). These comparisons say something about God and our relationship with him, but the picture falls short. Not every detail fits. When we use a metaphor, we don't mean everything that we are saying.

It is difficult to discuss God without using metaphor, however. Our language and our conceptual capacity aren't quite big enough to do justice to the spiritual world. So we are left with esoteric jargon, and comparisons.

So most of the time it's a metaphor. But not always. Sometimes I'm not sure which category a term fits into, though. Like "relationship." Is that what it actually is, or is that a picture of what it is? Do we have a real, actual relationship with God, or is the interaction like a relationship?

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Assuming that we can say we actually have a relationship with God, and assuming that our deepest relationships will resemble each other, marriage becomes a picture of spirituality. Our relationship with a spouse parallels our relationship with God, and vice versa. Both have to do with our hearts and passions, love and promises, commitment and forever. (Baptism feels like a wedding ceremony to me. Making the promise of for real and forever.)

I am not confident about my ability to promise forever to another person. But I feel that sticking with God and staying in this relationship even when things do not feel ideal is practice for other relationships and reinforces my character in a positive direction. It's about whether I keep my promises when I feel unfulfilled.

It's definitely important in a relationship to be discerning, keep your eyes open, have clear boundaries regarding how you deserve to be treated, and assess whether the relationship is good enough to continue. But after thorough assessment, there comes a time when the evaluation period is over and you enter into a commitment (such as marriage). Here you sacrifice your rights for love of the other. Ultimatums like If you don't treat me well enough, I'll leave turn into assertions like I want to be with you and build a life with you, whatever that means. Laying down your life...