| faith

I’m a bit of a shy flower when it comes to the topic of spirituality.  I don’t like to cause controversy or risk offending others, and religion is definitely one of those touchy subjects.  Take, for instance, the first date I ever had with the man who would eventually become my husband-- 

I knew very little about Craig when he asked me out for a beer after work on that cold spring day.  I had dated enough to know that first dates weren’t really the place for drinking too much, dishing about family secrets, or declaring doctrines.  So I calculated that one beer would be fine, and that it was best to avoid the subjects of my parent’s rocky history and my church-going habits.   And so for awhile we made casual small talk, learning the usual superficial trivia that comes with the territory in a new relationship.

And then for some unexplainable reason, I just blurted out The One Thing you’re never supposed to say on a first date.  “I’m a Jesus freak,” I stated rather boldly, looking him right in the eyes.  It was like I’d been overtaken by a zealous alien hell-bent on breaking the rules of polite conversation.  I don’t know what came over me, but once the words were out there, I was frankly a little relieved.  A little horrified, too, but also relieved.  

Relieved because my faith is HUGE part of my life.  I pray.  I sing.  I attend church.  And I make all of my big decisions, and many of my small ones, based on my beliefs.  And so to leave out such a big part of my life seemed a little inauthentic.

He took the announcement fairly well, actually.  Better than I expected.  And I, too, recovered from my initial shock at dropping such an inconvenient bomb and carried on civilly for the rest of our date.

As I was driving home I thought, “Well, he seemed nice.  I’m sure he’ll NEVER ask me out again, but at least that was an interesting date.”

Needless to say, he did ask me out again.  Though not a Christian himself, he was intrigued by my rather bold authenticity, and wanted to know more.  A year-and-a-half later, we were married.

My point in relating this story is that I’ve since learned that sometimes taking the risk of being authentic can bring the most surprising and unlikely rewards.  And so, after two years of avoiding the subject publicly on this blog, I’ve decided to just go ahead and drop the bomb once again--

I am a Jesus freak.  

With that said, I understand if you don’t want to go on any more dates.  But maybe, like Craig, you’ll be a little intrigued and stick around to get to know me better.  It could be the beginning of a wonderfully authentic relationship.

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