Do you remember when you first fell in love? I am not
talking about your first schooldays crush. I am not talking about your first
infatuation. I am not talking about the time when you saw that person and
thought to yourself, “I would be happy if they were mine.”
I am not referring to those moments in your life because those moments were not
about love at all. Those moments were about you, and genuine love at its very
core is not about you. It’s about others.
I am talking, however, about the first time you really fell in love. When you knew that
you and the other person truly cared for each other. When you knew the two of
you were willing to do anything for one another. When it was a joy to hear
their voice on the phone and you anticipated the next time you would hear it as
soon as you sadly had to say goodbye. When every song you heard reminded you of
them, and when everything you read found a relationship to your relationship
with them, and when every thought you had somehow included them, too. And then
that love matured when you came to the point that you decided to make a lifetime
commitment to this other person and become their spouse.
Marriages go through periods in which the feelings of
courtship fade and the relationship needs to be renewed. Couples must keep
dating. They must continue to express their feelings and love for each other in
a variety of ways. Exciting new things sometimes become everyday regularities.
The once unexpected blessings soon become normal and there is a danger of each
person in the relationship taking the daily sacrifices of their companion for
granted. But a committed relationship also leads to seasons of falling in love
all over again. The more things in life you experience together, whether good
or bad, the more that you realize your mate loves you. The loyalty of your
spouse and their constant support and sacrificial giving will hopefully lead to
you falling in love with them over and over again.
Spiritual renewal is very much the same. Inward revival is
falling in love with Jesus all over again. We remember the first time the cross
brought conviction and tears. We recall the overwhelming weight of our sin
coupled with the unconditional love of our Father. Then we add in the suffering
of the cross and the yearning of Savior for our souls and we conclude in our
minds and hearts that we are in love with Jesus. Because Christianity is also a lifetime
commitment, the more time we stay in the relationship the more opportunities we
have to fall in love with Jesus. And His blood remains. And
His blood cleanses. And we love Him all over again because of it.
Every person wants to be loved the way they were loved in
the beginning. It seems natural then to conclude that God also would want the same.
Every new day is an opportunity for us to look at our loved ones and be
thankful for their presence in our lives. By their simply being there and
loving us we can appreciate what they mean to us and fall deeper in love with them - one day at a time.
When you woke up today I hope your first though was Jesus. I
hope your second thought was of a very special person here on earth who loves
you. And I hope that each day that you live God will grant you the ability to
keep falling in love with them over and over again.
“The Lord has appeared
of old to me, saying: ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore
with lovingkindness I have drawn you.’” – Jeremiah 31:3
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