Can we walk down memory lane for just a minute? Remember your first crush? I sure remember mine, and since my first crush never knew he was my crush, we’ll just name him Tommy.
Oh, sure, we were friends, but never more. Some of my fondest memories of him were those where we sat together at lunch. It was Tommy, his best friend, and me. We had the best time “plowing fields” with our forks in our mashed potatoes. His dad was a farmer, so fields were his thing, even if they were made of mashed potatoes, peas, and corn. We both had blue Kangaroo tennis shoes (remember those?) and we kept our milk money in the pockets. Then, in fourth grade Tommy drew my name in the class drawing for Christmas exchanges, and he bought me a horse!
I LOOOOOVED HORSES!
Ok, ok. It wasn’t a real horse, it was plastic. But it may as well have been real as far as I was concerned. Although the horse wasn’t quite the right size, I still proudly perched my Western Barbie atop the white removable saddle. That horse was the grandest thing in the eyes of my fourth grade heart, next to Tommy, of course. He sat right behind me in class, and I was totally impressed at his taking note of my infatuation with horses, proven by his choice of a Christmas gift. As a matter of fact, his gift was proudly displayed in my room until I left my parents’ home many years later.
We regularly compared spelling test and math quiz scores and it never annoyed me when he propped his mud laden tennis shoes on my desk rack, crumbling chunks of dirt and grime into my books and papers. And I can’t begin to tell you how important I thought I was when he would ask me to borrow a pencil!
The years passed and we remained friends, but nothing more as we moved on into a high school containing a sea of other students – and even more GIRLS. I watched from afar as he walked down the halls wearing his football jersey with “Beverly” -we’ll call her- in tow. I daydreamed of what may have happened if I had ever gotten the nerve to let him know how great I thought he was, but I never risked it.
It was a true crush.
A crush is just that – a crush- if the feelings aren’t reciprocated. Nothing more. It’s still a crush until a heart is completely vulnerable and open. Willing to risk it all – everything – laid bare. Ready to face rejection in an effort to gain relationship. It’s the reciprocation that gives the crush an opportunity to grow into something more.
A crush is just a crush unless something is given back.
Can I challenge your heart with something?
Jesus has more than a crush on you. He is completely obsessed with you. He is willing to be completely vulnerable, completely rejected, completely laid bare in an effort to gain a piece of your heart. His feelings for you are so deep, He can’t risk you not ever knowing. He can’t risk not having a chance at happily every after with you. He was willing to be totally humiliated beyond our understanding to declare His feelings for you.
He declared His love for you as He was beaten – He took your pain.
He declared His love for you as He was mocked – He took your shame.
He declared His love for you as He died – He took your death.
He declared His love for you as He defeated death – He gives you life.
It couldn’t have been love any other way.
It would have just been a crush.
And all eternity stands still awaiting your reponse.
Here’s the challenging part – As complete as He is, the love itself isn’t complete unless you do respond. Unless you give it back, He’s still simply longing for you. Giving all of you to Him, even if it’s messy, brings His declaration of love for you full circle.
A crush no more, a true, happily ever after love.
We love him, because he first loved us.
1 John 4:19
And by the way – Tommy eventually married Beverly, but that’s ok with me because I got a better deal!
Biggest Blessings,
