My first love....

Oh yes it is that time of the year, the lovey dovey time. The time where those with a significant other buy giant boxes of chocolate and plush stuffed animals to show their love for that special someone, and the time where those without a significant other proclaim their distaste for the holiday that serves as a reminder that they are single. Personally I prefer to use it as an opportunity to focus on the word where this special day finds its roots: love. So if you are not a fan of all things lovely and loving and loveable than you may want to excuse yourself now from reading my blogs until after the 14th of February because I love to talk about love.:)

As I began searching my heart for what area of my life and relationship with the Lord that I wanted to really grow in during this upcoming year, I kept being brought back to falling deeply and madly in love with God my Father! The Lord is constantly reminding me of this verse " Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. " Revelation 7:4 (There is of course some context to consider here) There are many days when I unfortunately know this to be true of me. When I look back over the day and where the focus and desires of my heart were, I realize I have forgotten my first love. I know that I am at a time in life when the pressure is on to find the love of my life. And please don't miss this, I look forward to finding that with the Lord's leading and timing!(we can have fun with that later) But I don't want that process to get in the way of me falling more in love with the Lord each day, and it can so easily do just that. That along with all of the other many distractions life has to offer! So I have been learning what it means to take my thoughts captive, which is n-o-t easy!

So my question now as I seek to fall completely head over heels in love with the Lord my God is what does falling in love with God look like in my life? How do I get my heart to a place of complete love and adoration for the Lord? How do I set aside all of these things that so easily distract the attention of my heart? (and boy do I have more and more trouble with focusing everyday!) What is He calling me to lay aside or surrender to Him so that I can see Him more clearly? And how do I love others the way Christ has loved me? What does the overflow of His love in my life look like?

Words cannot even begin to express how much I love the Lord and I cannot even begin to write all the ways He has poured out His love on me! But I will do all that I can to live in the warm embrace of His love each morning as I face each day and I will do all that I can to share that incredible love with as many people as I can each day! I look forward to falling more in love with the God of the universe with each passing day!

So maybe you are looking for the love of your life this Valentine's or maybe you have already found him/her and are trying to find the perfect way to express your undying love for that special someone. I hope you are able to do just that. Trust me, I love a sweet love story and the sweet things loveys doveys do for one another!! But I hope you will take time to remember your first love. The love that will never fail and will always satisfy in ways no other love can!

"And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:18 (msg)