When in Love

I'm currently reading a challenging book called "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. It challenges American Christians of being "lukewarm" in their faith, being "cultural" Christians who are unwilling to surrender everything (money, time, goals, work, social circles, expectations, children, etc.) to the will of the Lord. It calls for us to be more than Sunday morning Christians, but to live out the gospel of faith, love and truth 24/7 and be willing to give all of our resources to building the Kingdom of God. It's been a convicting read and good for my soul. One chapter, titled, "Being in Love" has especially challenged me. Chan makes the point that when we're in love, we enjoy just BEING with that person. It doesn't matter what we're doing, where we are or what we want to "get out" of our time together..because we just enjoy knowing that person better and spending time with them. That challenged me on two fronts. I asked myself, "Do I do that with my husband? Do I do that with God?" My husband and I had a nice little get-away this weekend without kids. We went to San Antonio to just have some sweet, quality time together. It was lovely. But I nearly turned one part of the trip into an unncessary fight. We decided to walk to dinner, instead of drive, knowing it would be a long walk (20 minutes or so), but in no rush and wanting to spend time together. My expectation going into the walk was that we would be following the Riverwalk, so it would be beautifully soothing and romantic. His expectation was that we would go the most efficient and quickest way possible, which meant cutting through an industrial section of town that involved passing by buildings covered in graffiti, bars on the windows and high fences with razor-sharp wire. I found myself growing annoyed and critical at his decision and the unromantic atmosphere. But the Lord brought to mind Chan's chapter on what it means to be in love. I thought, here we are, on this get-away weekend together, with no real agenda except to enjoy one another and spend quality time together. Sooo...it doesn't matter WHERE we are or WHAT we're doing. This is the man I love more than anyone on earth and I want to enjoy just BEING with him. So I was able to laugh off the walk and enjoy time with him. (Side note: we did, however, take the scenic route on the Riverwalk on the way back!) The same challenge goes for my relationship with the Lord. How often do I go to God with demands. Prayer requests, issues I'm having with my children, my family, my own sinful tendencies. But how rarely do I just enjoy spending time with Him? Reading His word with the purpose of KNOWING Him better, ENJOYING Him, PRAISING Him for the beautiful, majestic God He is. Even in my quiet times, I often have an agenda, combining Bible study prep, mentoring prep, prayer list additions, etc. I have been challenged, especially during this Easter Lenten season, to just go to Him because I love Him, because I enjoy spending time with Him, because He is majestic and lovely and just and holy and righteous and perfect and He deserves all my praise.