When I Fall in Love

By Robin Caldwell

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you…” (Jeremiah 31: 3)

I cannot recall the exact day or time I fell in love with Jesus. It took a long while that’s for sure. For a number of years, I wouldn’t say I loved him for fear of (1) being tested and (2) lying. But that’s when I thought loving Jesus was like loving a man or any human for that matter.

Intellectually, I knew I needed to love him, and that it made sense to love the One who died for me. But I just couldn’t say it, thinking love is an action verb and my actions didn’t always line up with loving the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

However, I liked Him an awful lot, which meant more to me. Jesus had my respect, honor and good intentions.

The thing I liked most about Jesus was his coolness. With all due respect, He was a really cool cat with a few street qualities I admired.

For example, when Peter chopped off Malchus’ ear, Jesus didn’t ask Peter if he’d lost his mind though He probably looked at him that way; He politely reattached the ear and told the disciple to put his sword away. He didn’t chastise His boy in front of an enemy, which was true loyalty. I respect that. And Jesus used the opportunity to reveal His lordship, with a miracle, to a man who’d tried to capture Him.

Another favorite passage of Scripture reflects a Jesus who walked in awesome power. He had swagger, as Diddy calls it. And His swagger was never diminished in the face of human authority. Pontius Pilate tried to bully the Lord by asking, “‘Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?’ Jesus answered, ‘You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.’” (John 19: 10-11, NKJ)

Now, that’s real swagger. Jesus let Pilate know in no uncertain terms, “That power you have is nothing compared to Mine.”

Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman is absolutely priceless and I would count it as a pivotal point in my falling in love with Him. She, like me, was a hard sell.