JESUS, ROCKS, & SHAMPOO

This is my futon where I hang out with Jesus (though in this picture it was in my office when I lived with Terry).

I was talking with my friend Jan C. last night (since she accidentally dialed me and then had to talk to be nice) and she asked about my blog. I admitted that I’d started one and then it’d fizzled out so I was going to find something else to write about. I told her I’d love to tell my funnies this week with Jesus but I didn’t want people to think that all my Jesus time is silly because I also have my serious times and our long conversations. She then said something that made me think, and that was that most people already take their relationship with God too seriously and they need to hear the fun side, how we can hang out with Jesus and goof off and laugh. That’s so true, it’s the fun, silly side that creates the relationship of friend-to-friend or Bridegroom-and-bride. We generally already have the rescue/help/here’s-my-prayer-list/I’m-learning-about-you-by-studying-my-Bible relationship. My passion is to show others what fun Jesus is, how to stop thinking that all your time with him has to be something deeply spiritual. So, thanks to Jan C., I’ve decided to share some fun tidbits from my Jesus-times this week.

Sunday night as I was hanging out with Jesus I was thinking about how, as my mom and I ate lunch at Culvers today, they had played my favorite song “More” (by Matthew West), where Jesus is singing to us about how much he loves us.

Me – “I enjoyed hearing you sing to me today.” (I then sing some of the chorus to him.) “You love me more than the sun and the stars—wow! I was just saying how it’s so hard to believe you could love us. I know the sun IS a star, but from our point of view they’re different. You love me more than the sun and the stars … Hey, they’re just rocks! So you love me more than rocks? Whoopee, not very romantic.”

Jesus – “Well, technically they’re not rocks …”

Me – “I know, but really, rocks. Now, if you’d said you love me more than the oceans, or than springtime, now THAT’D be impressive. Yeah, the ocean!”

Jesus – “Water. You’re impressed that I love you more than water, but not rocks …” We had a good laugh over that one.

A few days ago I was playing the card game Rook with my mom and as I was waiting on her to organize her cards I closed my eyes and (spiritually) talked to Jesus. “I want to be a sweet-smelling sacrifice to you,” I tell him, “having a good attitude just because I want to please you.” I think about how good he must smell, and talk to him about the fragrances I love. Maybe he smells like oranges or lemons or grapefruit. “And I like flowery fragrances like roses and gardenias and honeysuckle,” I tell him. Oh!” I say, “I smelled something wonderful this week, maybe you smell like that! What was it …” And then I remember what it was—my new bar of LUSH shampoo! I burst out laughing (much to my mom’s surprise) and I don’t think I’ll tell him that I’m comparing him to shampoo! (Of course he knows what I’m thinking but I don’t have to TELL him everything do I?)

Then last night as I sat down with Jesus on my futon he commented, “So I’m not very romantic and I smell like shampoo …”, and I couldn’t stop laughing.

Here’s a Jesus-moment from earlier this week.

I am sitting in the car waiting on the bank to open. I got here at 8:30 since their website said they open at 8:00 but it was a trick, the WINDOW opens at 8:00, the lobby at 9:00. So I run over to the library while I wait (it’s practically next-door) but they’re also closed until 9:00. What kind of backwards place is this? Apparently everyone sleeps in but me.

So anyway, as it rains I’m sitting in my car at the bank and I’m disappointed that, for once, I haven’t brought my Kindle (foolish me, thinking “I’ll just run to Kroger and the bank so why would I need my book?”). Sitting there bummed I say to Jesus, “Let’s sit here and talk because I have nothing else to do.” And then I crack up. I start to say, “Well, I didn’t mean it THAT way,” and then I think how yeah, I did, even though it was expressed badly, and I finally tell him, “Well, I have no comment.”

I love hearing others tell about their Jesus-times. Jan C. said, “I woke up with the chorus to the old song “True Love Waits” in my head. He’s waiting for me!!! I’ve been so busy!!” Then she emailed me more: “Also, I just love being aware of Jesus, and how much you’ve influenced me in that. I wanted to tell you the other day that he’s been giving me songs. I wake up with a chorus on my mind, secular songs, but they are all usually about “everlasting love” or something that only God can truly fulfill. They are special, because they tell me that no matter how rushed, tired, harried, etc. that I’m still his, he still sees me and I don’t have to worry about feeling unconnected from him due to tiredness or just too much life happening. I have to say that I love that about him. And, without the awareness that he is speaking to me, I may not have noticed in the past.  Like, oh, I’ve got a song stuck in my head, haven’t heard that one in a while – not realizing where it came from.  But, now I recognize his songs to me and the words are always so precious. He tells me how special I am and that I am his.”

My friend Chong likes to walk around her neighborhood and recently as she walked she was delighted to realize that Jesus was walking beside her, as if he were physically there. She enjoyed laughing with him and feeling his presence as she walked.

Tonight, as I sit here leaning up against Jesus and soaking up his warm, beautiful presence my heart is overwhelmed by who he is and I tell him—

Do you know how much I love you?
“Love” is such a wimpy, generic word.

Do you know how much I long for you?
How much I ache to physically see you?
To hold and smell and hear and taste you?
I close my eyes and you’re instantly here— I’m never alone.
Do you know how my every breath inhales Your goodness?

“Turn your eyes from me they overwhelm me.”

My heart is continually searching for you, reaching out to you, running after you, only satisfied when I make contact—when I feel you, see you, say “Hey!”

Love?

Should you leave me I would cease to exist.
My world is alive with color, joy, peace, answers, hope, and mercy only because of you.
I catch your eye and life is on track again.
Do you know what that means to me?
I am consumed by you and your love, and my heart reaches out to you in gratitude and feelings so strong I have no words.

That’s what I mean by love.

So how about you this week? Keep your spiritual eyes and ears open and take the time to enjoy him, and then tell me about it!