You Complete Me

"And ye are complete in him..." (Col. 2:10)

            One of the catch phrases in today's relationship vocabulary is "You complete me." In other words, I'm only half (or less) of what I would be without you. I must admit, the sentiment is touching and endearing; and having lived for over fifty years with the life partner God gave me, and whom I passionately love, it is a sentiment I could easily espouse. That is, if I allowed my life to be governed by sentimental feelings. But since, to the best of my ability, I have determined to allow the Word of God to govern all of my life, I have chosen to place sentiment further down the chain of priority.

            This verse in Colossians assures me that since Jesus Christ is Lord of my life, and He embodies all three Person's of the Godhead (v. 9), I'm complete as I am. Any other relationship I maintain may enhance or embellish me, but it cannot add anything of eternal substance to me. David expressed it even more unequivocally when he told God, "...there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee" (Psl. 73:25b). This is not to say that we should not enjoy, even relish, the company and love of others, but only to recognize the fragility of any earthly relationship.

            Beyond this Biblical truth, may I add a couple of practical ones to bolster my argument? First, when I'm looking for someone to "complete me," I'm focused on my inadequacies and their sufficiencies; and should those roles ever become reversed, I'll have to look elsewhere. Not a good scenario. We all like being with people who make us feel good about ourselves, and who encourage us to do and be our best, but the Bible tells us that feeling inadequate is not such a bad thing: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God" (2 Cor. 3:5). Anything that drives me to God, the all-sufficient Source, is a good thing. Right?

            Finally, if there is anyone on earth who "completes me," when he or she is gone, I am left as only half a person. Frankly, I cannot believe this is how God would ever want His child to see himself or herself. If a parent loses a child and remains inconsolable, it says to those remaining, "You're not enough." And when God removes someone from our lives, either by death or some other separation, and we remain inconsolable, God would be justified to assume, "I'm not enough."

            I am persuaded that those who are looking for someone to complete them are not ready for a relationship. I have often told wives, it's easy to expect a husband to meet needs only God can meet. After my salvation, my husband is God's greatest gift to me, and I love, enjoy, and cherish him. He loves me, he takes care of me, he entertains me, and he teaches me the things of God...but he doesn’t complete me.

            I am complete in Him. And so are you.