So Come With Me

"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her." - Hosea 2:14

Summer romance. It's an idea nearly glorified by the movies. Noah and Allie in The Notebook, Sandy and Danny in Grease. How many more movie couples meet and fall in love during the warm summer months? How many more movies and books depict the months and activities of summer as the ideal setting for date night, for truly falling in love?

Crazy, adventurous romance. How many movies show two people falling in love while on the craziest adventure of their lives? In some exotic location? Doing something daring that they have no idea how they got talked into it?

That's what this summer is about for me - getting my crazy and adventurous summer romance.

In Song of Solomon, God calls Himself our Lover. In Ephesians, He calls us His bride. As such, He wants us to be truly in love with Him. He wants the fiery passion and fierce devotion that comes with being truly in love.

Really Loving someone is a learning process. It's no different with God. You really have to learn about Him. You really have to learn what Love is and how to fight for it. In the process, you learn a lot about yourself. You learn what really matters to you. You dream dreams you didn't dare to dream before.

It wasn't until my layover at O'Hare that I started actually looking forward to living in London for three months. I was asking God some questions about what I thought was completely unrelated to this trip. But when He answered, I couldn't have been more excited.

He wants to pursue me this summer. In a way that He couldn't anywhere else.

Europe is the first place I ever pictured myself going on an "adventure". It's far away from the people I Love most. It is way beyond my comfort zone. Only God could have convinced me to come here by myself for three months.

God is pursuing me in ways I didn't think I would ever be pursued. For me, so far, He has reminded me of who He made me and the interests and gifts He gave me. He keeps showing me that He knows those things about me - they don't surprise Him. He keeps blessing me with the time to enjoy them.

At the same time, I'm learning about Him. I'm learning about Love. I'm learning that He wants me to enjoy the gifts He has given me. My interests and passions are His interests and passions. He wants to share them with me. He is pursuing me so that I know how to pursue Him.

This isn't just for me. It's for you too. God has a plan to pursue you, to chase your heart. Most likely, it will be something you're not used to. Let Him remind you of how He made you, who He made you to be. Let Him remind you of the dreams He's given you. Then see how He provides for you. Look for the opportunities He gives you to be that person. Watch how He allows you to follow those dreams. Let Him draw your heart closer to His.

Don't forget to share it with Him. Love Him back by including Him in those things He does for you. Thank Him for them. When your heart starts longing for adventure - any type of adventure - look to Him.

When He calls, "Come with me," follow Him. If it's to the ends of the earth or if it's to the house next door, follow Him.