Relationships are spiritual in nature. Whereas, situations are based on instant gratification entertainment, pleasure seeking moments, and vanity. Relationships precede situations in time and space, because they are about spiritual commitments and obligations. That is, spiritually expectation driven and long term in nature. Interpersonal interactions are about the spiritual values and commitments that are recorded in (Galatians 5: 22-24): “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Another scripture cited below also addresses the spiritual basis for all “forms and types” of interrelationships: “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:17). Of course, we must understand that through faith Jesus Christ is the spiritual mediator for our sins before the throne of God. (1 Timothy 2:5). Interpersonal interactions are about spiritual fellowship with each other. The word light in this Biblical scriptural context implies truth.
Ultimately, life is about spiritual relationships and commitments. Question: what are you committed to? Possible answers: is it selfishness, greed, envy, personality conflicts, and jealousy. Life is about “spiritual-sameness” in God, not seeking pleasure-sameness in the world. Relationships have spiritual commitments associated with them. However, God does not want individuals to become so heavenly bound, that they are no earthly good.
Situational experiences and situation-ethics have torn down the moral walls of American society, because there is no commitment involved in these kinds of experiences. In the twenty-first century, any and everything goes for the sake of maximizing the pleasure principle. It is spiritually recorded “But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.“ (1 Timothy 5:6). Life is not about pleasure; but redemptive suffering. That is, suffering for the sake of the truth. Pleasure seeking is the beginning of unnatural lusts. Individuals should never allow lusts of the flesh to control their thought processes. “What! Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6: 19-20).
Situations are usually about maximizing the pleasure principle; especially sexual pleasure. This state of affairs has produced untold societal confusion: fornication, unwanted pregnancies, adultery, workplace sexual confusion, sexually transmitted diseases, and personal hardship-situations. Human sexuality is a gift from God, simply because sexuality is essentially spiritual in nature and involves personal-choice-decisions. However, because of the pleasure seeking principle, we have turned the “gift of God” into a sinful physical pleasure-seeking-activity called the (F-Word).
All of this spiritual confusion has created a situation-ethics oriented society. And, of course, this spiritual confusion is charged to our children as well as future generations. When individuals devalue each other as spiritual beings, instant gratification moments (secular humanism) become the basis for interpersonal interactions. Whereas, relationships have eternal spiritual expectations and commitments associated with them.
Situations only produce zombies, and no individual wants to become an imitator (monkey see, monkey do). Whereas, relationships produce spiritual individuals like a Moses, King David, King Solomon, Dr. Martin L. King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, Mary M. Bethune, and First Lady Michelle Obama.
American society has become a spiritually sick society especially in the Black community. When individuals abandon the spiritual covering of God, the moral walls are pulled down, and of course, God pulls the curtain down on the final act. In my opinion, the only hope for restoration of American culture is in the Christian church and self-educational-development. The church especially in the Black community must get right with God. That is, cut-out the emotional-oriented-foolishness and spiritualize church-goers rather than entertain them. Again, the Christian church in the Black community must get right with God and fly right.
Black churches must institutionalize “positive-modeling-behaviors” for young Black men on how to be a man to a man, simply because God has spiritually commanded that a man must “work by the sweat of your brow” (Genesis 3: 17-19). And, above all, Black churches must help young females learn how to become godly ladies, because the world will teach them how to become the “W” word or the “B” word. “But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.” (1 Timothy 5:6). This is an extremely important church related spiritual endeavor, because of the alarming statistics associated with the breakdown of the family and out-of-wedlock births. More importantly, women are the carriers of culture. Hence forth, God has said to women because of disobedience, “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” (Genesis 3:16).
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of his flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6: 7-9). In conclusion, “sometimes a situation can get an individual in a situation”. Selah!