Monday night I went on a date!
It was completely unexpected, even though I had been hoping and praying for one for the last few weeks.
I got asked out on this date in the middle of class with everyone standing around.
They even helped me get ready for my date.
Let me back up and give you some context.
I knew this man wanted a romantic relationship with me, but I realized I had no idea how to be pursued. So I told him this and told him that he had to teach me and show me how to be pursued.
I don’t know what intimacy looks like. I don’t know what that feels like or even how to cultivate it and keep it.
So I told him he had to be the one to teach me and to show me.
Then Monday happened. I had stayed home from the office to rest and recover after working long hours all weekend. But all day, I knew that I would still go to my “evangelism” class that afternoon. I didn’t know why I wanted to but it felt like I needed to go to this class; I just knew it was what I needed to do. Little did I know that this was part of his plan.
Side note, but important information: Another thing I knew going in was that I was going to eat out for dinner. In my professionalism class, we have set goals for ourselves for the semester. A week or so ago we were asked to make one of these more difficult. My original goal was to limit myself to only eating out/paying for food at a restaurant twice a week. I made this more difficult by lowering that limit to once a week. Yesterday was my once a week restaurant dinner. However, throughout the afternoon, I couldn’t decide on which fast food restaurant I wanted/was craving. Once again, I didn’t realize that this was going to be part of my date.
Now back to the story of Monday:
We had gone to one location seeking out people to minister to and it didn’t feel right. I got the feeling that we were supposed to go to this one particular grocery store nearby and other people on my team felt the color red was an important part to what we were supposed to be doing. So we began looking for the color red.
When we got to the store everything inside was red. Everywhere you looked was red. We knew at that point that we were in the right location. Now to ask the Lord who we were supposed to talk to and pray over. I got the sense that it was this one particular lady so I went and prayed for her. After I finished, I felt like there was more to do, but didn’t know what.
My team regathered back together and then they all turned toward me and said they felt like they were supposed to celebrate me. I immediately became very uncomfortable for being pushed into the spotlight. If you know anything about me, unless it is on a stage in the middle of a performance, I DO NOT LIKE the spotlight! And here it was that I was becoming the center of attention.
They felt like I needed to be celebrated. So they bought me the last piece of cake which was huge with pink icing and sprinkles on it. They went as far as to buy candles for the cake and even a RED rose for me.
I was completely uncomfortable and wanted to go hide somewhere. We then went outside and borrowed a lighter from a guy walking by. We tried to light the candles, but the wind worked against us.
My team then took the time to speak blessings and encouragement over me.
You see my date was going to be with Jesus. But He wanted to go big for our first real date.
As all this was taking place, I realized what was happening (that Jesus wanted to take me on a date) and expressed it to my team. Then as we were heading back to our meeting place, they began asking me what I wanted to do on my date and where I was doing to go on my date. I realized that I was going to go to the movies by myself with Jesus.
Then Jesus told me we were going to dinner as well. I kept thinking through all the faster, less fancy restaurants around me and He told me to dream bigger. So with that, we went to a nicer sit-down restaurant. It was beautiful. I enjoyed my meal and the time spent with Him and then we went to the movies.
It really was a beautiful first date and there is a hope and anticipation for many more dates in the future as I learn to be pursued by Him in this new way so that I know how to be pursued when God brings a man into my life with these intentions.
So yes, I went on a beautiful first date with Jesus last night and am looking forward to many more!
