I travel a lot, at least 40 times a year. Most of those trips are two or three days. But this trip was a month-long ordeal. I was scheduled to teach in Korea and India, and while I was excited about the ministry opportunities, I knew it was going to be hard. I was going to be away from my lover and lifelong best friend, Luella.
My first night away, I discovered a piece of chocolate that Luella had hidden away with a typical Luella note. I went to sleep with a smile on my face. Although Luella was physically in Philadelphia, she had left pieces of herself behind for me to remember and enjoy.
As the days of separation increased, I found myself thinking about Luella more and more. In fact, there were several times when I actually turned to say something to her, only to be jolted by the reality that I had left her at home.
I began counting down the days. I found myself daydreaming about getting off the plane and seeing her face. I envisioned the first sight of her, the first touch of her hand, the first kiss. With my heart I saw her smile and heard her laugh. I began talking more about Luella to those who were with me, squeezing her into the conversation and singing her praises. I just wanted to be home with Luella.
Now why in the world am I telling you this? How is this applicable to your everyday life? I can say it in a word: ROMANCE. You see, I am deeply persuaded that romance drives our life in the kingdom of God.
At the core of our lives, we need to have a deep, abiding, life-shaping affection for the King. This one central love will fuel everything else we are meant to pursue. We're simply meant to be madly in love with Christ. He is meant to be the One that occupies our minds and fills our hearts. He is meant to be what excites us and brings us joy. He is to be the One whom we are living to please.
What drives our life must not be: an unwavering commitment to biblical theology; a comprehensive Christian world-view; a dedicated pursuit of involvement in the body of Christ; a persevering commitment to ministry; or a zeal for daily study and devotion. Yes, these things are certainly important, but they shouldn't be our driving motivation.
Our lives should not be so much about pursuing these things; we should be pursuing a Person. The eyes of my heart need to be focused on Christ. My soul needs to be filled with appreciation and brimming with affection for Him. I need to walk around astounded that He would place his affection on me. I need to live with hope that I will be united to Him and live with Him forever!
This one central romance - being madly in love with Christ - will give motivation and direction to every other good thing that defines my life as a Christian. How are you doing? Are you madly in love?
- Think of when you were apart from someone you "madly" loved. Do you feel the same romance towards Christ?
- How might you be able to fuel the fire of your romantic relationship with Christ?
- In what areas might you be committing spiritual adultery against Christ? How is that hurting your romantic relationship?
