3 Ways to Fall More Deeply in Love With Jesus
The old sycamore leans over the icy creekbed with shoulders washed white by the weather. Closing my eyes, I inhale the scent of the forest and pray that I might learn to embrace my moments and fall more deeply in love with Jesus in the process.
For the past few years, I’ve been learning to slow down.
I’ve been asking God to help me live with less grit and more grace.
In the process, God is changing me.
I’m also discovering that the secret to living with greater joy and deeper peace is falling more deeply in love with Jesus.
What does this look like in my world with winter wind rattling the windowpanes, toys strewn throughout the living room, and darkness falling in these late afternoon hours? Here’s what it looks like for me:
Fall More Deeply in Love With Jesus
1. We fall more deeply in love with Jesus by processing our emotions with him.
God designed our emotions, and he invites us to learn to process our emotions with him.
When he walked on earth, Jesus experienced every emotion known to humankind. He understands us and empathizes with us.
I’ve learned to fall more deeply in love with Jesus by bringing him my difficult emotions. I begin by going somewhere quiet for even a few minutes. I then ask him to help me name the emotion I’m feeling. This process helps me by calming my limbic system as I move toward peace.
After naming the emotion, I ask Jesus to show me what is beneath the emotion. I approach it with compassion and curiosity and ask questions. Why am I feeling this way? Is there something deeper happening here? Is this emotion covering a deeper emotion (anger often covers a deeper emotion)?
I also ask the Lord to show me what he wants me to know about the emotion. I might write in my journal as I work through the situation.
Last, I ask Jesus for truth to stand on when my emotions feel overwhelming. Sometimes, a refreshing and insightful thought comes to mind through the power of the Holy Spirit. At other times, I open my Bible to find a verse that speaks to my situation.
I then repeatedly meditate on, cling to, and speak this truth when my emotions feel unsettling. In the process, I imagine Jesus holding me and helping me. We work through my emotions together, and our relationship grows stronger.
2. We fall more deeply in love with Jesus by turning to him first in fearful moments.
Fear is one of the most powerful human emotions. I’ve also learned to grow closer to Jesus by dealing with fear in a direct way.
The human brain tends to drift to life’s biggest problem at any given time.
Most of us know all about obsessing over our fears. You might be fearful for the future of your child, your health, or your job. You might be worried about keeping up with your schedule or paying the bills.
A few years ago, our family faced a scary health situation. I was undone. Fear kept me awake at night and greeted me first thing every morning. Every morning, I woke up hoping our situation was just a bad dream, only to realize it was our reality.
Finally, I decided I was done being paralyzed by fear. I decided that every time I felt fearful about our future, I would bring the fear to Jesus and ask for his help.
It didn’t happen overnight, but after a few weeks, I realized I was no longer paralyzed by fear.
Instead of controlling me, fear became a prompt, reminding me to turn to Jesus.
What if fear became a prompt to send you running into Jesus’ arms too?
How to Run to Jesus
You might be wondering what I mean by “running into Jesus’ arms.”
How do you “run to Jesus” when you can’t see him with your physical eyes?
There are all sorts of ways to run to Jesus.
Run to Jesus by claiming a worship song that stirs your soul, and sing it softly when you feel fearful or worried.
Memorize a verse and speak it in the face of your fears.
Step outside and marvel at the work of God’s hands.
Take time to pursue a creative activity you enjoy—hike, bake, sew, paint, or write—and remain open to Jesus’ presence with you while you glorify him by joining him in the creation process. (Have you ever noticed how alive you feel inside when you create without hurrying or stressing about the outcome?)
Anything that stirs your heart to worship him—and lift your eyes off of your circumstances and onto him—is a tool for running to Jesus. We fall more deeply in love with Jesus any time a negative emotion (or a positive emotion) prompts us to run to him.
We fall more deeply in love with Jesus any time our pain prompts us to run to him. #RuntoJesus #EncounteringGod #SeekingGod Share on X
3. Fall more deeply in love with Jesus through the discipline of secrecy.
Do you remember sharing secrets with your friends as a child? Secrets develop intimacy. When we keep good secrets with others, we bond. We form attachments.
Falling in love with Jesus is strengthening your attachment to him.
What might it look like for you to share secrets with Jesus?
You’ve probably heard of doing acts of kindness in secret—leaving anonymous donations in mailboxes and quarters in the shopping cart at Aldi—and not telling anyone.
Random acts of anonymous kindness are one kind of secrecy, but we can also keep secrets with Jesus by saving certain parts of our hearts for him alone.
Throughout the past months, I’ve been reminding myself that every moment of my life doesn’t have to be about pursuing measurable work for God’s kingdom. Every powerful interaction with God’s Word doesn’t have to turn into a blog post. Every precious moment of worship in my bedroom doesn’t have to become a chapter for my next book or even a story I share at Bible study.
Reserve Moments for Jesus Only
I’m learning to reserve certain moments for Jesus—for him alone. I don’t write about every divine revelation or moving worship experience. I encourage you to cultivate the discipline of secrecy by saving some of your moments for Jesus alone.
Take a walk beneath the sinking sun. Talk to him. Leave your phone at home.
The next time you have to eat a meal alone, imagine you are sitting with Jesus. You don’t have to talk while you eat. Simply enjoy his presence with you.
Open your Bible and expect to encounter Jesus. And when he reveals truth to you, let it linger in the secret place.
Worship Jesus on your face on your basement floor. Keep it as a sacred moment with the Lover of your soul.
There is a time to give testimony to Jesus’ work in our lives. Yet we develop a deeper intimacy with him by reserving some of our moments for just the two of us.
A Free Devotional Book to Help You Fall in Love With Jesus
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These books are free on Kindle Unlimited or available to purchase in print:
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
Calling all moms and daughters!
Additionally, my teen daughter, Bekah, and I are passionate about helping moms and daughters grow closer while connecting with God. We have written two mother-daughter devotionals together. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section after each devotion.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, purity, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. We will help you!
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