In Hot Pursuit

I woke up, I was a little cold, and then I realized I was not alone in my bed. It took a bit for me to realize for the 4th morning I've been back from DTS that I was indeed not in Belize anymore. When I turned to see was in my bed, I realized that it was my former room-mate Hope. "Awe.....she climbed in bed with me." I thought, and then I realized that she was not in my bed, I was in her little twin size bed at the house i use to live at in Renton. I felt more hopeful, knowing that even though it had been 5 months we hadn't seen eachother, she was still a very close friend/room-mate. I was immediately excited and eager to start the day! It was Monday, I was back at my home country, and there were endless possibilites waiting at my fingertips. "What should I do today?" I thought. There was so much going through my mind. I'd been homesick for at least 4 months, and now I was home. But then, there was a little sadness that crempt into my heart. "What is wrong?" I asked myself. "Everything is going so well. I got to share my journey at Bible Study friday night, I'd been connecting with my friends, I've been embraced warmly and welcomed home by my wonderful mom, sister and brothers, and I'd met another special friend who I had been enjoying getting to know since I'd been home. I had high hopes for the near future, been hired as a camp counselor and I really didn't have anything to complain about, but I still felt a little sad and empty. Maybe I was missing the beauty of the Carribean beach, the people we got to serve and children we got to love. But, then it was like I heard a whisper and I knew it was Jesus. "I miss you Joy, come out with me." It made me almost cry, but I didn't I knew He understood, I had been busy, consumed with knew adventures, friends, family and fun. I wasn't really desperate for His help. Honestly that is how I felt. But in response to the whisper. I missed Jesus too. I'd been spending every morning in the garden in YWAM El Sal, or having a walk on the beach in Belize and talking to my Beloved, but since I'd been home, my commitment to have daily dates with Jesus kinda was pushed to the back burner.
That was it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew Jesus hadn't changed. He was waiting outside my front door, and lightly rapping on the door of my heart, saying "Joy, I miss you, but I love you just the same, and even though you kinda stood me up every morning since you'd been home, I don't care, and I forgive you, but I've got a great idea for a date this morning!!!!!!!!!!!" I got excited, it was 6am, but I bolted out of bed, got my running shoes on, threw on my jacket, was thinking about grabbing my cell phone just in case someone was trying to get ahold of me, when I realized that I no longer had a cell phone. But then I felt relieved and knew Jesus was still standing there as I opened the front door to let him in. He was grinnning from ear to ear. You don't need a cell phone Joy, because it's our date, and you have ME! That made me very content and happy and Hope just then came out the door and invited me to go jogging with her, but I easily said, that it was okay, and I'd catch her later.
Jesus and I ran down past the library and park and ran far down to the Cedar River bank. We had a wonderful talk, but I did most of the talking. I had a big question pesterinig me and I was dying to ask Him. So I finally did.
"Jesus, what do you think about my new friend? Should I be dating Him? Do you approve? Is He Mr. Right?" I was almost afraid of asking such a specific question of Jesus. I thought maybe He'd be jealous. But all He said was. "You're afraid, aren't you? You are afraid of good things? You are afraid to love? What if I told you he was and I'm the one who brought him to you?" I became very quiet. Maybe I wasn't hearing from Jesus at all. "Jesus, take him away if he's not the guy you want for me. If he's taking me away from you. I don't want him in my life. Besides.....I don't deserve this so soon, I don't have a perfect past. I don't deserve a guy this good." But then Jesus was standing next to me, whild I sat hugging my knees, watching the the fallen evergreen branches be whisked away by the cold rushing Cedar river. I peeked up at Jesus and He was frowning a bit. "Joy, you are my princess and you deserve any gift that I want to give you." I wondered what He meant by this. Did I meet the right guy, or perhaps he was just another friend that I needed to learn something from on my journey with God. I asked Jesus if He could tell me more, but He just kinda didn't say anything else, I knew that He just didn't want me to know yet. I knew that it meant I wasn't ready to know yet, and as I learned in Sunday's sermon, Pastor Seim said, "God reveals what you need to know when you need to know it." I realized that it wasn't my time to know yet. But, I still felt at peace, so I determined I'd just follow the path of peace. Respect my new friend, keep our new relationship pure, and continue to go after following Jesus where ever He'd lead me.
Then I looked up and right then a bald eagle flew right above my head. It nearly took my breath away. It was like a kiss from heaven and it warmed my heart. Then I straitened myself and with my surge of Holy Spirit energy and ran my heart out deeper into the beautiful Cedar River trail, my heart exploding with the reminder of Jesus' love fore me.
As I remind myself of that beautiful romantic date with Jesus Monday morning, it just makes me want to continue to go deeper with God and not let anything come in between us! Jesus is so worth it guys....and He loves you, created you with the desires in your heart and desperatley wants to fulfill them. Dream big, surrender everything to Him and remember that every morning you rush into the day without first reading His love notes to you, He misses you, but He will NEVER stop pursuing you and He's lightly rapping on the door of your heart, whispering your name. "Wake up my Beloved, I want to go on an adventure with you!"