Imagine this…
Your date picks you up. He’s dressed in a dashing tuxedo with a single rose in hand. He greets you with a gentle kiss on the cheek and leads you to his car. He opens the door for you as you get in.
He takes you to a little restaurant with a private table for two on the patio. It’s evening and the stars are glistening above you. He asks you questions and shows that he’s intrigued with everything you talk about. He’s looking right into your eyes while you speak, and it feels like he is looking into your soul, and loving everything he sees.
After dinner, he drives you to a park for a walk. He slips his jacket over your shoulders instinctively knowing that you’re starting to get a chill.
As he guides you along the path, you notice that little lights are turning on in the trees surrounding the park. Fire flies flit in front of you as though they are guiding your steps. Your date reaches over and holds your hand. You can feel the pure strength in his. As you share your passions and dreams with each other, he expresses excitement. His devotion to the conversation leaves you telling him more than you anticipated, but this doesn’t bother you. You trust him.
At the end of the evening, he takes you home. He wraps you up in an all-consuming hug. Feeling his chest against you, you feel protected, safe, loved.
…How many of you would love to have this scenario? We crave trust, protection, romance, and fun. We would love to feel valued, radiantly beautiful, and like there’s no other woman in this world this man would want to be with. You know the reality of your world is tough. You have drama in life. You’d love to have someone whisk you away from your current reality, to see past all the craziness and be able to make you feel at peace, loved, and treasured.
Ladies, we do have that man! We have that man that would do anything to have a moment of our time. We have the man that sees us as perfectly gorgeous. He sees us as valued, treasured, and so very gifted. His name is Jesus. He sees into the depths of your soul. He listens to every thought and conversation you have. He knows your deepest dreams, passions, and desires. He knows what you’re good at before you even do. He wants to romance you and be intimate.
Our lives are too cluttered, too busy to really feel and embrace this intimacy with Him. It wasn’t until my concussion four years ago that I started to truly believe and understand this.
Over the years, I had worked my way into a pattern of keeping busy. I knew that being involved in ministry and serving the Lord in any way I could was a good thing. I didn’t like my current realities of trial after trial that I was facing, and this was one way I could feel good. But I began using ministry as a way to cover up everything else that was falling apart in my life. Whatever opportunity came, I jumped on it. Though all these things were good, I didn’t take the time to really slow down enough to pray and seek what God wanted. I didn’t take the time to read Scripture every day, though I would do it in spurts when I felt I was struggling enough to need it.
I was at another point of burn out a few years ago, that I realized I needed to be reading the Bible on a consistent basis. I enjoyed what I was learning during that time each day, and I began to notice little changes here and there, but I still felt this huge hole in my life. I felt like I still hadn’t found my true calling and what God had purposed for my life.
Then I had my concussion. Forced to sit and rest in darkness for months and not being able to handle anything but the basic function of living, I finally had time to sit and listen. God had to stop me and give me a time-out of sorts to get me to listen to Him.
2 Samuel 22:29-31 says, “‘LORD, you are my lamp; the LORD illuminates the darkness. With you I can attack a barrier, and with my God I can leap over a wall. God – His way is perfect; the way of the LORD is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.”
I could no longer bury my hurt and pain in good works. I could no longer hide my failures. I finally had to walk through them all, in darkness, in order to find freedom, hope, and light.
The Lord illuminated my darkness. It didn’t feel good. I didn’t want to face everything I did, but by doing so, I found healing. I felt free. The hole that I had felt for so long was filled. Even though I had given my heart and life to Jesus years ago, I thought most of my relationship with Him was to serve Him. That is an aspect of it, but what He desperately wants more, is you. He wants you to slow down, to spend time in His word, to listen to that still small voice. He wants you to worship him and take delight in Him. It is through this that we can have contentment. We can find purpose.
Then something amazing happens. The Holy Spirit begins to be able to transform you. By surrendering everything that holds you back from your relationship with Him, He can do the work He wants to. His light shines brighter and people around you take notice.
He knew that I desperately needed this time of confronting my hurts and finding freedom in order to face the next trial awaiting me. He needed to lavish His love and romance me to help me see and believe that He loves me and His plans are good.
He says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” James 1:17.
God is light. In order to be the light to others, we need to allow Him to fill us with His light. In order to know our calling, we need to ask Him to lead us. By taking the time to be in relationship with Jesus, everything else will flow out of that. He will show you what to do. He will shape you to be who He desires. The trials of life will still come, but it will be bearable because it won’t be on you to deal with them. He’s got it. He loves you! Enjoy the dating process.
