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Hopelessly in love
by Jon Walker
Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.» (Matthew 22:37 NIV)
Worship — We were singing praise choruses during a worship service when I noticed the typo. The lyrics for the song were supposed to be, «I'm hopelessly in love with you.»
But someone had accidentally typed: «I'm hopefully in love with you.» It was just a one-word typo, but it carried a message equal in power to a sermon containing thousands of words.
Think about it: What’s the difference between being hopefully in love with God as opposed to being hopelessly in love with him?
‘Hopefully’ suggests tentativeness: «Gee, I hope I can love you, God.»
On the other hand, ‘hopelessly’ suggests total abandonment, an ice-tea plunge into the pool: «God, I'm in this relationship from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. No matter where it leads. No matter what it means.»
We express a desire to deepen our relationship with God – and all the while he’s already in the deep end, urging us to jump in and join him?
And there we stand, testing the Living Water with our toes, hesitant to take the flying leap into the deep that would fully immerse us into the life of Christ because it would require us to drown out so many pesky, little things that we think – that we imagine – give us life, when our real life is in Christ (Colossians 3:3). Our true life comes through the grace of God and our holy Spirit-connection with Jesus.
I know why I pause by the edge of the pool: It means I’ll have to put away childish things (1 Corinthians 13:11) and toddler-like attitudes (1 Corinthians 3:2). It means maturing when it’s easier to stay immature .
The thing is – and this is what deflates all my excuses and rationalizations – abandoning myself to God is a choice. The only thing hindering me from a deep, deep abiding relationship with God is – me. It is my unwillingness to give up those things that distract me from God and my stubborn refusal to make time with God a priority in my life are also choices I choose.
And, my friend, the only thing hindering you from a deep, deep, abiding relationship with God is – you.
In that sense, you choose to become hopelessly in love with God. It doesn’t take a saint or a special kind of person; it comes down to the simple, yet incredibly difficult choice to love God with «… all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.»
You don’t fall into that kind of love; you purposely immerse yourself in it. God is in the deep end, calling out: «Come on in; the Living Water refreshes!»
So what?
· Your choice – The only thing hindering you from a deep relationship with God is – you.
· What hindersí – Ask God to reveal anything that is hindering you from developing a deeper relationship with him. As he reveals the hindrances, face them honestly and talk to God about where to go from here.
· God guides the heart – Ask God to guide you deeper, bringing you to a place where you are hopelessly in love with him.
· How do you adjust? – What would it look like if you loved God «with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind?» (Matthew 22:37 NIV) How would you adjust your behavior and your thoughtsí
© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.
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