People do crazy things when they're in love.
I've heard this said all the time, but never as a reference to God - not until Ichthus in 2011.
The speaker was... well, I don't remember his name. But I really want to give him credit! Anyways, his message was inspiring. At first he joked around and acted goofy, but after an amazing message he led the audience to kneel in the damp, muddy grass and beg for God to forgive us for our sins. The whole festival allowed me to feel incredibly close to God, and that speech was just the icing on the cake.
But what I remember most from his message was that he was in love with God, and that love made him do crazy things. Because people do crazy things when they're in love.
Now, about 7 months later, I'm finding more and more that I, too, am in love with God, and I'm doing crazy things. Last month I did K-LOVE's 30 Day Challenge. For 30 days I listened only to Christian music. I missed quite a few good songs coming out in those 30 days. There were many instances where I had to awkwardly ask people to change the radio station or to turn down their music so I could hold to my promise to only listen to Christian music.
Currently I'm working on the Daniel Fast. Although this will only last 21 days, it's much more difficult than the 30 Day Challenge. In these 21 days, I can eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains, but no meat, dairy, or added sweeteners. That means I can't eat the chicken alfredo from Pizza Hut that my family is eating right now. And let me tell you, it smells really good, but this is a sacrifice I'm willing and eager to make. Doing the Daniel Fast allows me to bring myself closer to God, and if that means that I don't get to eat my favorite foods for a few days, I'm totally okay with that.
My walk with God through these crazy things is really cool. But I've found something else really cool in these challenges, too; I'm getting to witness to others. When I ask for a burrito at school with no meat or cheese, I get to explain the Daniel Fast to my friends and tell them about the cool things God is doing in my life. When classmates in English turn up the volume to the local pop music radio station, I put in my headphones and turn up the volume to K-LOVE. Then I get to explain to them all of the cool things God is doing, too.
Sometimes sharing your experience is the most effective way to tell people about Christ, and I am so blessed to have so many cool opportunities to do that. I get to share God with every single person I interact with. If that means giving up some music or some foods, I'm totally cool with that. Because people do crazy things when they're in love.