Recently, I have been involved with an evangelistic outreach—the Hope for America Areawide Crusade. A team of evangelists came to Cleveland to coordinated with fifteen to twenty area churches to hold evangelistic meetings for a week at a county fairground. Several people accepted Christ as Savior as a result. Yet the crusade also challenged me to figure out a way to strengthen my relationship with Christ—to date Jesus.
Losing Sight of Christ
The week leading up to the crusade, I was really struggling with overwhelming desires to be married, and I felt defeated by my longings. The desire for marriage had grown to idol status in my heart—I wanted a romantic relationship so much that the thought of not having one felt unfair and cruel. I wanted to break my mind and heart free from this struggle, but how? When I expressed my defeat to my mom, she said, “Fight, Carmen. You cannot give up. You have to fight. Just do the next right thing.”
The next day, the next right thing was attending the Hope for America Crusade volunteer meeting. At the meeting, the lead evangelist reminded us of the Bible story of Mary and Martha. While Martha was busy serving food to Jesus and his disciples, her sister Mary sat at Jesus’s feet learning from Him. When Martha complained that Mary was not helping, Jesus gently told Martha that Mary had chosen the best thing–spending time with Him–and that He would not take that away from her.
The evangelist pointed out that, like Martha in the Bible, we can become weighed down with much serving. We can get so busy serving God that we lose sight of the point of it all—Christ Himself.
Taking Time for Jesus
Those words resonated with me. I always had another project to do for God, but I was not spending the time I needed to with God. As I drove home, I wondered what to do about it. The thought came, Why not have a date with Jesus?
Um . . . okay. How do I do that? I could go to Starbucks down the street, but that is where I do a lot of work—either writing or grading. The coffee shops I typically enjoy are not open in the evenings. But there was a new one my friends and I had recently visited that was open late—Gina’s Gelato and Java. It also had good frozen hot chocolate.
But I’m tired, I argued. I need to work on a blog post. I’m not sure I even want to go somewhere and do a Bible study.
Do you want to change? Or do you want to keep going on like this? The Holy Spirit responded.
The Holy Spirit had a point.
In response, I parked my car, went into my house, and gathered my Bible, my journal, and a small Bible study booklet I never had time to start. I put them in a brown suede purse I had just bought from a garage sale instead of my typical work bag. As an after-thought, I added my noise-cancelling headphones, just in case I needed to block out the world. Then, I freshened up a little—I was going on a date, after all. I also chose a comfortable jacket more fitting for a date than my zip-up hoodie.
Once I settled into a coffee shop booth with my frozen hot chocolate, I began working through the little Bible study on Philippians 4:7–8. It was exactly what I needed. It had encouragement and practical thoughts on gaining victory over my thought life. As I wrote responses to questions and dug into how God’s Word applied to my situation, I was able to claim God’s peace.
This experience showed me that I needed to make an effort to date Jesus. Although my morning devotions may be brief, I can take one day a week to go more in-depth with my Bible study time. Although other responsibilities clamor for my attention, I need to be like Mary, taking time to sit at Jesus’s feet.
Do you ever have a date with Jesus? Consider setting aside a time once a week, or even once every two weeks to spend some extra time doing a Bible study, journaling, or memorizing Scripture. God is there for us, ready to listen and comfort us with His love.
I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. –Psalm 116:1–2
Need some ideas for Bible studies? Check out this post with some of my favorite resources: Making Jesus Our Great Love.
Copyright © 2025 by Carmen Dillon. All rights reserved.
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For more biblical insights and encouragement, check out my book Opening the Hope Chest: A Single Girl’s Guide to Homemaking.
A lovely experience! Thanks for sharing it with us.