Dating Jesus

Here’s the thing: I’m head over heels in love with Jesus.

There’s a reason why I am....

We dated, and fell in love.

Yup. That’s about it.

A precious friend saw me mention Dating Jesus on this blog a while ago, and asked me to expound, so that’s what I’m going to do. Or at least, I’m going to try. For those of you who’ve experienced it, you know it’s pretty tough to put into words. But what the heck! Here’s tryin!.....

The summer of 2010, as I’ve said, was the greatest summer of my life. My beautiful friend “Sanni” has a mother who, in my eyes, is kind of like a female Paul. She’s lived the majority of her life for herself, but once she came to Christ, she came all the way, and is for me and for many others one of the strongest beacons of Christ’s light. So for this particular summer, the two of them (Sanni and her mom) decided to host a shin dig called “Dating Jesus”. Once a week we went to their house, along with a few other girls and women, read the Word and learned from the other women. For the first (but by faaaar not the last!) time in my life, I felt the touch, the sweet kiss, of our Messiah. I was told for the first time in my life that God wanted to have a personal relationship with me, where He could love me and woo me and spend time with me as my savior as well as my sweetheart.

“For God so loved [YOU] that He gave His only begotten Son, that if [YOU] believe in Him, [YOU] will not perish but have eternal life”
John 3:16

One of the women who helped lead it, we’ll call her “Fanny”, became especially special to me. I know now that God led her to the group to teach me and guide me, and o how she did! She is beautiful and kind and loving and compassionate, and through her beaming personality I learned how it looks to follow Christ as a woman. By the way, this is something I’ve been thinking about lately: Men who seek Christ above all else are sooo handsome, and women who worship and serve Christ above all else have an unexplainable beauty. Wanna know the reason why? It’s very simple math. The closer we get to God, the more He dwells within us, and He IS more beautiful than anything we will ever know. End of tangent.

I won’t go into every detail of the event. If you want me to, feel free to ask and I will, but the details are not what need to be heard from that experience. The fact is, Dating Jesus is exactly what it sounds like. We met once a week, read the Word together, listened to the older women teach us, and learned each of their love stories (with the Father I mean). It was incredibly intimate, and so, so, so sweet. We were taught how to date Jesus, and so I began to. I would go to a coffee shop and bring my Bible and read with Him. One time when I went, I decided on a whim to get a biscotti with my drink. When I handed it to the girl, she broke it and handed it back, saying “Now it’s free!”. He does sweet things like that you know. I’d pop some popcorn and cuddle up to a movie with Him. Sometimes we go out to eat, sometimes we stay in. The point is, we spend time together. He listens to and comforts me, and while I’m still learning how to listen back, it gets better and sweeter every time.

“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her”
Hosea 2:14

At the end of it all, we literally threw a wedding. We wore white and were given veils and rings, and went off to read prophetic words the leaders had gotten for us. To describe my elatedness and joy is literally impossible. On that last day, as we were sitting around, one of the women turned to me and said, “I feel like this has all been for you Ariel. Of course God wanted these other girls here, but this whole event was something He intended for you specifically. I just keep hearing, ‘It’s all for Ariel’”. The other women agreed with her sentiments and felt the same. He gave me so many gifts, spiritual and literal, that summer and ever since. I’m literally in tears as I write this part. Why the heck He saw me worthy of such pursuit I will never know, but I am forever grateful He did, and I’m going to devote my life to Him for it. Because of Him, I’m never alone. I never have to die. I never have to feel the depth of pain I once knew.

“Turn your eyes on Jesus and the things of this earth will grow strangely dim”

My challenge to you is this: date Him. Let Him woo you. That Dating Jesus event, and Him focusing so much attention on me, was what I needed and He knew that (He did make me after all). He woo’d me according to how Ariel needs to be woo’d. If you’ll but open your heart, surrender yourself, and let Him in, He’ll woo you the way YOU need. Go out with Him. Do the things that bring you joy with Him. Explore, delve into His magic, and give Him a little bit more of your heart than you already have. He. Will. Reciprocate. And it will be truly and utterly magical. Let us know how it goes. Ask us for help or advice. You’re never, ever alone. He loves and adores you.

I love you

Ariel

P.S. I know some people are annoyed by the term "dating" because we, as the Church and Bride, are married to Christ. My reply to that is, does dating end at marriage? Courtney and her husband have "date night" once a week, so I'd say....... not if you're in love it doesn't!