Who remembers their first crush?
Do you remember getting ready because you were going to meet that special someone? Can you remember the slightly nervous anticipation? Even just hanging out with your friends, with the slightest possibility that the person might be joining the group that day, was a rush, right? Like the thought of skydiving without a parachute, exciting and a little scary!
Remember trying to casually ask another friend if so-and-so was going to be there? Don’t be too awkward, don’t give anything away. Don’t let them know you’re crushing on that person!
And when they did show up! Remember that feeling? Stay cool, stay cool. They said “Hi” to some of your friends—you held your breath. And when that person saw you, smiled, and asked “How’ve you been”… Wow! There was no way you could hide that smile! Right?
Have you ever gotten up in the morning before anyone else is up, the house is quiet and calm? Have you ever slipped out of bed, grabbed your Bible, went to your special spot, and invited Jesus to sit with you? Have you ever opened your Bible and asked Him to reveal Himself to you? Then, as you’re reading along, you realize that He’s speaking to you, to your heart, and He is showing you something about who He is?
It’s like that first crush! Amazing!
It is a love affair! It is a love affair between you and Jesus! Spending time with Him, getting to know who He is, is just like when that special someone started hanging around. At first, maybe we were a little interested because of some superficial things—like their appearance or who they hung around with—but as we get to know them, we realize we want to know more! We want to know them!
It’s just like that with Jesus! In the beginning it’s about not going to Hell—let’s be real here, nobody wants that—and maybe some of the Christians we’ve made friends with are nice and pretty cool.
As we hang out with Jesus more, like any deep relationship, we want to spend more time with Him! We start to fall in love with our Lord—it becomes less about avoiding Hell and more about being with Him. It’s less about what we should give up and more about what we can do to please Him. It becomes less about us and what we’re into and more about who and what He’s into.
We start waking up before the alarm goes off, looking forward to the morning’s first sweet embrace! There is nothing, nothing, like it! Every day He speaks to our hearts as we read our Bibles. He coaches us, cautions us, grows us, loves us… And then one day we realize that this is the personal relationship that Christians are talking about! And it is a love affair that lasts a life time!
Enjoy your sweet time with Jesus—your own personal love affair—and “just stand up.”