By Angie Koenig

Chocolate by Stu Spivack vi via Flikr. CC BY-SA 2.0

Like many young girls, I had issues as a kid accepting that I was made beautiful and called beloved by our Creator. I hid from God’s truth and my choices paid the price. Then, as a young women I received the best advice I have ever gotten. My sister-in-law told me that I needed to fall in love with Jesus, head over heels in love. As a single 21 year-old wondering why I was the only one of my sisters husbandless, this seemed crazy to me. I had never been wildly in love with anyone, let alone Jesus. I mean I loved Jesus, but how was I supposed to fall in love with Him, and what did that even mean? Jesus as that type of man was not how I viewed Him; he was my friend, not my love interest. 

Even though it seemed crazy to me, I knew I needed to do something. I had spent many years completely numb to human emotion, and I was willing to try anything. So I figured if I was going to fall in love with Jesus, I would start dating Him. Once I came to this conclusion, I felt Jesus ask me to date Him by going to daily Mass. Jesus asked, I said yes, and that became the start of a love story I could never have imagined. 

Every day that week at Mass I could feel Jesus talking directly to me. Every reading addressed something I had been struggling with, and not just struggling with that day or even that month, struggles that had burdened me my entire life. They were revelations that left me crying at Mass each day. Now, most people would tell you to stay away from boys who make you cry, but when the water works are brought to you by the Holy Spirit, there is passion and love in every tear. Jesus was wooing me like I had never been wooed and I fell in love with Him – head over heels, butterflies in the stomach, shakes you to the core kinda love. Years of feeling inadequate and unwanted were washed away. Jesus revealed to me that the walls I had put up around myself to protect me from hurt and pain were doing the opposite, they were pushing everyone away. By not allowing the people around me to love me, I was not allowing Jesus to love me, and He desperately desired to do so. 

Jesus thirsts for us, for you and for me. He wants an intimate relationship with each and everyone one of us. Dating Jesus will look different for every single one of us because Jesus loves us individually. I challenge you to talk to Jesus, in a way that may seem strange at first, and tell Him you want to date Him; He will reveal to you how He intends to do so. Jesus is the ultimate gentleman, allow Him to woo you and be prepared for fireworks.

About the Author:

Angie Koenig is a passionate follower of Jesus working her way through life as a Millennial.  She is the youngest of nine children and embraces her role as a daughter, sister, aunt and friend.  Her faith journey has had many unexpected turns and she has recently embraced her calling as a writer to witness to God’s mercy and unfailing love.  Angie currently resides in Eau Claire, WI where she enjoys anything that involves coffee.