Date Night

This past week was one of the longest weeks of my life. Every night I had a very large amount of homework and very little incentive to do it, so I was up very late every night and was extremely tired every day. And I definitely didn't want to do my devotions (I'm very undisciplined). But by the time Friday night rolled around, I was thirsty. I was starving for my alone time with Christ. So we had a date night. Just me and Jesus, hanging out. With all the challenges in my life recently, I've known that God has had something to say to me. So I made myself open to Him, curled up on my window seat, and began to search and listen.
At first I couldn't decide where to start, but then I remembered that the Bible study I'm in is getting ready to start 1st Corinthians, so I began to read there. As I read, God used His word to speak to my heart. In 1:19-20, it says, "I will destroy the wisdom of those who are wise. I will do away with the cleverness of those who think they are so smart. Where is the wise person? Where is the educated person? Where are the great thinkers of this world? Hasn't God made the wisdom of the world foolish?" I was caught in. Most people who know me know that I love learning, and I'm one of those rare teenagers who likes to go to school to learn. Last year I was really caught up in making outstanding grades and coming out on top. This year, not so much, but as we've been forced to think about college, I've eliminated any school without an outstanding academic reputation, and a lot of Christian schools for fear that they won't give me the education I want. And then I read that verse and realized just how stupid I am. None of that stuff prepares me for eternity, or aides in deepening my relationship with Christ. I so deeply desire that my whole life-every dream, thought, passion, decision, EVERYTHING-would revolve around Christ, that I wouldn't live a life of selfishness, but of selflessness. However, I had let my dreams of success (my definition of success, at least) get in the way, when in reality God has something planned for me that I could never, ever dream up on my own. How incredibly freeing! And humbling. The things I once considered great and worth my time I now count as worthless compared to the glory of Christ. From those few verses, the Lord made me realize just how great He is, and how insignificant everything else is. I don't want anything this world has to offer. I simply want Jesus. I can feel everything in my life being reoriented and reprioritized to Christ. And I have a burning desire to know Him in the deepest most intimate way possible. I want Him to be my all, for everything else is dim compared to His glory.
So that was my "date night". It's amazing how just a few minutes in the Lord's presence can change your life forever...