In case you can’t tell by my author photo, I work out.

(Insert sarcastic emoticon here)

In all seriousness though, I really am a bit of a gym rat.

The gym I go to is pretty small, so I like to get there ridiculously early and claim the lone barbell before the 6am crowd shows up. This also gives me time to follow-up my workout with a 2-3 mile walk before I head off to work.

I usually listen to a sermon or podcast as I walk my loop, which is a big part of why these walks have become one of the most enjoyable parts of my day.

But there’s another reason why I’ve been looking forward to these walks lately:

The cute girl on the bike.

A few months ago I decided to spice things up and walk my loop in the opposite direction. Livin’ on the edge, right?

Hi Wayne!

By walking the loop this way, my route happened to cross paths with an incredibly attractive girl on a bike who, judging by her outfit, was commuting to work. Naturally, my mind deduced that if she rides by here at this time on Monday morning, there’s a good chance she will ride by here on Wednesday morning as well.

I convinced myself that I must test out my hypothesis, so Wednesday morning I set out for my walk in the same direction. Sure enough, there she was again.

Only this time, she smiled at me.

Game over.

To be honest, I have no idea what that smile meant. More than likely it was nothing more than a polite acknowledgment of my presence, much like the smile one would give a passing coworker in the office hallway. Being a guy though (and all of you guys will know exactly what I’m talking about here), I decided that her smile meant she liked what she saw.

I convinced myself that she desired me, and I really liked the way that felt.

As much as I’d like to say I immediately recognized the danger of the situation and switched back to my original walking route, I actually did just the opposite. I purposefully began timing my walks hoping to align them with her commute and have another opportunity to receive a smile.

Most mornings, I did.

And then one morning, she stopped riding by.

The weather was getting colder and she probably started taking the bus or driving to work for all I know. The funny thing though, is I found myself feeling as if I had been rejected. Even though we had never even talked, I felt like something had been taken away from me.

It was in this moment that I sensed Jesus speaking to my heart:

Why are you sad?

Because I liked being desired. I liked being wanted.

But you are desired…You are wanted…by Me and My Father.

I know Lord, but it still felt good to be desired by a pretty girl.

Of course it felt good. She was beautiful. Her smile makes everyone smile—including Me. But no woman can ever desire you in a way that will fully satisfy your longing to be desired. Only My love can fill that hole in your heart. Furthermore, how could she desire you if she doesn’t even know you? I know everything about you—the good and the bad—and I still desire to be with you so strongly that I paid for the opportunity with my own life.

Yeah, I guess no girl can compete with that type of love, huh?

No earthly relationship can compete with My love. Perhaps someday I will bring you a spouse whose desire for you will compliment my love, but it must never compete with my love or it will become an idol. That is not for you to be concerned with at this moment though. For now, just focus on My love and My desire for you.

I want to Lord, but I will need your help.

And I will give it to you. For starters, perhaps it will help to know that she was only smiling at you because you had toilet paper stuck to your shoe. Remember, kid, pride comes before the fall.

And that’s how Jesus used a cute girl on a bike to remind me of how much He loves me.

What situations has Jesus used in your life to remind you of His love?