The Beginnings of a Romance

I grew up in Weed. No, not on weed, but in it--Weed, California to be exact.

I graduated from Weed High. And I was a cheerleader for three years. Can you imagine chanting, “Weed High is the best high, is the best high you can get!”?



When I speak to groups, sometimes I tell people that growing up chanting about “Weed High” is the reason for my wayward teen years. It gets a good laugh, but that’s not the truth. It was my own sinful heart. Weed wasn’t the problem--neither the city nor the drug (which I never actually tried). Actually, I was looking for love in all the wrong places. I was looking for boys to fill the God-shaped hole in my heart. As if a fifteen-year-old football jock could ever do that!

My heart was broken more than once during those years, and I remember times when I questioned if life was even worth living at all. Wasn’t there someone, somewhere, who would love me completely?

Then, I found him . . . when I wasn’t even looking. In fact, I had given up on true love. I was 17 and pregnant, and I was sure I’d never find Prince Charming. Who would be interested in a teenager with a baby?

Then God showed up on the picture. I don’t know when He started pestering me. Looking back, I guess He’d always been there, loving me. And as I considered my future--my baby’s future--I realized He was what I’d been missing all these years.

So I opened my heart to God. I had no choice, because it was during those depressing days that I realized His love was the only thing that could satisfy. And you know what? It’s been an ongoing romance ever since. God has shown me His love in numerous ways, and I grow crazier in love with Him day-by-day. In fact, my heart warms just thinking about Him.

And you know what? God is hopelessly in love with you too. Wait, that’s not right. God is hopefully in love with you. Hopeful that you too can have an on-going romance. How do I know? Because it says so in my favorite Scripture verse:

Zeph. 3:17: “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (NIV).

Can you imagine that, God singing over YOU?

That’s right. No matter who you are, how you’ve screwed up, or where you’re from, God is mighty to save you. Even if you’re from someplace called Weed.

No wait, especially if you’re from someplace called Weed.