Sparks and Flame

Song of Solomon 8:6-7 - Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.

The Wedding Feast at Cana - The first public miracle of Jesus is when He turned water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana (John 2:1-1). People have suggested diverse reasons why Jesus chose to perform His first public miracle at a wedding. Am I a hopeless romantic to think that it was His way of showing the importance of love and marriage? Or have I simply watched too many Hallmark movies?

Boy Meets Girl - Our pre-teens in Sunday School talk a lot (and sometimes personally experience) the boy meets girl "drama" in school. And they are confused! So we taught them (in a age appropriate way) about the difference between falling in love (chemicals) vs. true love (a choice). Falling in love is mainly due to elevated levels of dopamine and depressed levels of serotonin in the brain, triggered by the onset of puberty. Consequently, "puppy love" can end as suddenly as it started. This accounts for most of the drama that our pre-teens see. But true love moves beyond the initial stage of infatuation and grows into a stable relationship. To put it in terms they could understand, we described it as "sparks vs. flame." We used some video material from "Psych2Go" plus a hands-on demo using a fire-starter for sparks and a candle for flame. Hopefully, our children will now be better-equipped to deal with the drama they encounter.

But I was dissatified with the way that the Psych2Go material ended. It left viewers with the impression that married couples settle into a routine flame of companionship that is devoid of romantic sparks. But the Lord said softly and with tender concern for married couples,

They need BOTH!