Who are you, Lord?

Luke 8:22-25
One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” (NIV)

When I was a freshman in college, one day an attractive girl struck my attention as she was walking in the rain, umbrella over her head, and under that umbrella her eyes flashed brighter than the sun on a cloudless day. As she passed by, I said to myself, “Who is she?” She is quite attractive on the outside – what is she really like?

Well, I just happened to run into this mysterious, mind filling gal one evening while I was waiting for a car of friends to pick me up to go ice skating. Here was this gal who caught my attention weeks ago standing in the same area waiting for something. I had to know more… after introductions we discovered we were waiting for the same friends (and to this day they are our same friends). YES, I was waiting for the same friends, going to the same place, doing the same thing… What a wonderful evening! I was closer to finding out who this gal was that I was attracted to from a distance. (a little closer)

We started to “run into each other” in the reading room above the mail center and I would drink in every word that fell from her lips as I tried to act like I was up there to read my mail. (And I did appreciate every letter and card sent back then, but all seemed to become pale to the news that this girl shared daily.) Of course, I had to read my every day and what better place then there!

The summer following my freshmen year was great but her absence did not help at all from me thinking about her every day and wondering, “Why is she so much on my mind?”

It just so happened that after the long summer break we found ourselves at a friend’s house back at college. After an evening of catching up with all our friends we all departed into the evening and one of my dear friends to this day (Joey) said, “Hey Jerome, have you ever thought about asking her out for date (before we knew about courtship – just kidding my sweet youngest daughter, Meredith). And I said, “Really!” like somehow just the question was a conformation that this attractive, attention getting, schedule-altering gal would say yes to such a request!

“Would you go to church with me Sunday evening?” (How about that for a first date?) How could she deny such an innocent, un-assuming request? And she fell for it. She actually said, “YES.” (That is how it sounded in my mind.) I was able to get a little closer (6 inch rule applied back then, especially in church.) to knowing who was this gal who I could not get off my mind.

From that point on, I watched her laugh, smile, cry, sit, walk, run, study, play, and interact with family, friends and foes, in class, out of class, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then one day I held her hand!!! Now I was getting real close to knowing who this gal was. Well I could go on from here but to make a long blog shorter – that gal, I have now watched and am getting to know more and more each day for about 31 years now. Over 27 years ago, I committed myself to get to know this gal (Lynda) for the rest of my life and the more I get to know her, the more I love her and the more I love her, the more I am fine with the understanding, “I will never know you enough but the trying to know you more is just so fun and to be loved by the one who knows me more on this earth than anyone else is so humbling and rewarding – words are definitely falling short here to express what is in my heart!”

So it is with the ONE who set His eyes on us before we ever knew it. The One who knows everything about us, even more than we know ourselves. And He is inviting each of us to know Him, but more than that – to trust HIM. And as we trust Him, we fall deeper in love with HIM (Jesus). Words are falling short again in trying to express what words do not complete at all.

“We love you Jesus! And thank You for loving us before we ever considered You.”