Romance

I started this thing, and I've been horrible about being consistent with posting. Consistent? Heck, this is only my second post in over a month! :) At any rate, I wanted to share what's been going on over the past several weeks.

I had an opportunity to share my story with the College Bible study that I've been helping out with for the summer. It was a little unnerving to be telling about my screwed up past in front of a mixed crowd of college kids. The amazing thing, though, is that God completely reigned in that room during that time. It was a tough subject to discuss, but God opened up some hearts to receive the correction, the encouragement, the teaching. It was incredible.

From that time was birthed a discipleship group of college girls that, for some crazy reason, I am leading. We've been reading The Sacred Romance by John Eldredge and Brent Curtis. I had read it before, and I thought it would be a good start for a discipleship group. The book is amazing! I, on the other hand, am not so great, as it turns out, at discipling. I am in utter need of God's grace in this venture because I am totally unequipped. Sure, I have more experience and knowledge, given that I'm quite a bit older than these girls, but does that mean I'm qualified for this? They are such precious women of God, and I've already, from one or two meetings, learned things from THEM!
Let me say something, though, about the book... Eldredge and Curtis are basically presenting the idea that we have been designed for, and deeply long for, a "relationship of heroic proportions." We were designed to have a ROMANCE with God! ROMANCE! It's something we can understand from an earthly perspective, but how do you have a romance with someone that exists in the spiritual realm? In reading this book and realizing again some of the things God does for me, my question is now, "How could I NOT be in love with Him?" He's gentle, kind, strong, compassionate, loving, forgiving, giving... the list goes on. We're talking knight in shining armor on a white horse here!

Song of Solomon has often been referred to as a representation of the relationship between Christ and the church as His bride. There is a verse that is the voice of the lover calling to his beloved to come out of her hiding place. He tells her he wants to see her face and hear her voice because her face is lovely, and her voice is sweet. If that is Jesus calling to me, I want to answer! What a man! I want a romance with Him! There is no one on Earth who can match that kind of love, that kind of passion!