Returning to My First Love

I remember when I was a little girl and my mom would take me into town to buy a new pair of shoes.

As I put on the new shoes, my old shoes would look dingy and worn,

so I would ask if I could wear the new ones home.

Mom would usually say yes, and I would feel so special,

walking down the street with those shiny new shoes.

(While this photo isn't of me, it might as well be,

with those skinny legs!!)

(google)

Eventually, those shiny new shoes would get scuffed and outgrown,

and I would want a new pair; I'd lost my love for them.

Then, when I was a teenager,

there was the Dorothy Hamill wedge haircut...

(google)

Yep, I had that one as a teenager.

Loved it,

then didn't love it;

I'd lost my love for it.

My love for family has never faded.

(photo by Mark Kane)

Lauren and I have been married for 36 years,

 and my love for him has grown more and more with the passage of time.

We have been blessed with 2 wonderful daughters and their husbands,

and 4 grandchildren...

(my photos)

This is a collage of baby pictures of Jack, Eli, Maya and Benjamin;

I can't imagine that love ever fading!

The Church in Ephesus had persevered, doing good deeds and working hard, and they

did not tolerate wickedness or false prophets,

yet,

they forsake their first love,

that is,

their love for Christ.

This great love they first held for Him

may have been overcome by pride of good works

or a busyness in doing for the Lord while not really remembering

what brought them to Him in the first place.

John warned them to remember their first love,

their love for Christ.

Yet I hold this against you:

You have forsaken your first love."

Rev.2:4

I remember how sweet it was to first love Christ,

being introduced to Him as a child wearing those new shoes,

thinking about Him as a teen with that new haircut,

and then,

finally,

coming to Him with with my whole heart.

Too often, this love has been overshadowed by daily life,

by not having my priorities straight.

It is in these times that I need to

"do the things I did first"

Rev. 2:5

I remember how sweet it was to first love Christ,

being introduced to Him as a child wearing those new shoes,

thinking about Him as a teen with that new haircut,

and then,

finally,

coming to Him as an adult  with with my whole heart.

Over time, life tends to change how we prioritize the

things of our lives, and I know that I have had to

reprioritize many times,

to put Christ first.

This new year, one day at a time, I want to remember my First Love,

and prioritize my day according to this relationship.

I can only do this through Christ, and I know through Him I can ovecome.