Rhodochrosite

My faith increases as I treat myself and others with loving compassion.

     Rhodochrosite is a crystal of many formations. Varying from a light pink to a deep reddish-magenta, it is a manganese carbonate mineral which is extremely rare as well-formed crystals. One of the few locations in the world where they are found is the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado, which originally was opened as a silver mine. It's other forms include stalactites with bands of lighter and darker pink, pale rosettes, and fantastical rosy bubbles of botryoidal crystals. Rhodochrosite is softer than most gems, only a 3.5-4 on the Mohs scale, so it's better to make it into earrings or necklaces rather than bracelets or rings. It will darken and turn brown if left in bright sunlight for an extended period of time.

     In my post about rose quartz, I talked about love - not particularly romantic love, but all love, the concept of it as a whole, in any type of relationship. But rhodochrosite is a deeper set of colors, pink and red and white and magenta embracing eachother, rolling over and under in waves, each piece unique, whether crystalline or banded. The healthiest romances parallel this, the give and take of love and care, and the Bible teaches about this, despite some of the toxic mindsets that some churches teach.

     "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears."

1 Corinthians 13:4-10 NIV

     God's Word tells us so much about the relationship which He made to be the most meaningful and lasting in our lives. Sometimes divorce happens because of abuse – that should never be spoken against, in my opinion. But today's society largely takes love in stride, as something disposable and replaceable; honestly, humans always have, this is nothing new. But God made marriage to be a pure, loving, and holy thing, in which the two partners become one. It's only because of the darkness of this world that marriages so frequently fall apart.

     One of the most misinterpreted passages of the Bible is Ephesians 5:22-33. It says, 

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."

     By today's morals, or any day's, these verses seem a bit misogynistic on the surface level, but remember that the world was still a sinful place in the times that this was written, and the societal standards on women’s rights were thousands of years behind where we are now.  However, some of the greatest and most respected believers of the early churches were women, and Paul recognizes this in other parts of his letters, so we know that he is not saying that women are less than men so much as that the spouses should love and respect eachother unconditionally, in the same way that Christ loves His followers, and that the two should devotedly stay with eachother even if they’d have been better fit for different roles, because the strict society of the time forced the roles he stated. Applying this to modern relationships, I think these verses speak to the relationship of one being vulnerable and open, and the other protecting and loving, and how both parties can play either role depending on the situation and who needs emotional support. The two hold eachother up and care for eachother when they’re down, and loyally fill their roles in their relationship whatever those roles may be; both are honorable to their duties and to their spouse.

     “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” 

Ephesians 4:25-27

     Honesty and communication, as we all know, are the cornerstones of a lasting and healthy relationship (these verses aren’t even talking specifically about romance – it’s any relationship!) If we’re upset with our significant other, and bottle it up instead of talking with them about it, the problems will ferment inside us, sometimes even without them knowing, and that festering anger or mistrust or loneliness can tear our relationships apart. Don’t let it rest until you know what’s wrong – gently talk it out, listen to their side, and never go to bed angry.

     “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear… Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:29, 31-32

     Instead of tearing into eachother with your words, build eachother up with compassion and forgiveness. Trust eachother with your troubles and vulnerabilities, and honor that trust and be there for eachother. With a foundation of trust, honesty, and communication, a relationship or marriage is built to last, instead of having an uncertain future like those without that foundation, built on shifting sand.

     Like with anything else, we are only human, and we are bound to fall short without God’s guidance. It’s hard to admit that you've been wrong, but confessing to both God and your beloved that you've made mistakes, and praying together for guidance, is a step towards an even closer relationship. 

     "Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you."

2 Corinthians 13:11