Crazy Love by Francis Chan- Chapter 8 "Profile of the Obsessed"

The first thing that Chan does in this chapter is define the word obsessed. To be honest I have never really thought much about what this word means. Most of the time I equate it to somebody who is crazy about something. This was the definition Chan gave at the start of the chapter - Obsessed: To have the mind excessively preoccupied with a single emotion or topic. Based on that definition of obsessed, I’m not sure I have ever really been obsessed. Well maybe I have….during high school wrestling, I was probably obsessed with winning. When I was preparing for a match all my focus and energy went into the thought of winning. Thinking back on those few hours before a wrestling match, my focus slowly got more and more defined as I got closer to the match. Rarely would you find me sitting 30 minutes before a wrestling match. I would pace back and forth thinking about what I would do on the mat. I guess that is what I would call obsessed in my life. The honest truth is that I have never thought of my relationship with Christ to be something that I’m obsessed about. But that is because I thought being obsessed was a bad thing. After reading this chapter I want to be obsessed. Here is how the chapter went…Chan would give a characteristic of an obsessed person, talk about it and then give a phrase that described that characteristic in one or two sentences. The way I read this chapter was that each of these are ways we can be obsessed. Chan listed 12 different characteristics that an obsessed person could have. They are: lovers, risk takers, friends of all, crazy ones, the humble, server, giver, sojourners, the engrossed, unguarded ones, the rooted, the dedicated and sacrificers. It would take me forever to write out even just the phrase for each of these things listed. I wanted to pick a couple that really got my attention and spoke into my life. These two things really made me think about my relationship with Christ and the way they are explained help change my perspective.

Lovers

"People who are obsessed with Jesus give freely and openly, without censure. Obsessed people love those who hate them and who can never love them back."

I read the word lover and I go straight to the marriage relationship between a husband and a wife. That is what lover has always meant to me in my life. I was a little confused when he used this term to explain a way a person can be obsessed. Read Luke 6:32-36. This is the definition of what it means to love someone. Jesus is the ultimate lover. The reason I say that is because He loves us even with all our dirt. He loves us so much He gave His life. We can’t pay Him back.

Unguarded Ones

"People who are obsessed are raw with God; they do not attempt to mask the ugliness of their sins or their failures. Obsessed people don’t put it on for God; He is their safe place, where they can be at peace."

We as humans are rarely, if ever, honest with each other about everything. Most of the time we are scared about what people will think of us if we tell them the truth about ourselves. We carry this same attitude to our time with God. What I often forget is that God knows everything I have done. So even if I don’t say anything He knows it. But you know, I think there is still tension between us and God if we don’t tell Him everything. He wants us to be unguarded and willing to tell him everything we are happy about, struggling with or have messed up.
Those were just two of the 12 things Chan talked about in this amazing chapter. It was so much information that it is probably something you should go back and read again and again. Chan ended the chapter with a great short paragraph that really spoke to what we need to do with all these characteristics.

"While these descriptions combined don’t necessarily answer the question of what it looks like to be wholly surrendered to God, they represent important pieces of the puzzle. Hopefully you are beginning to imagine and pray about what this looks like in your own life."