First Love Dynamics (The intro)

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, plagiarist, i know. Sometimes we realize that life is not all ups, that there are inevitably going to be some downs and there is no way to omit the undesirable parts of real life, but there are things we can do to survive them.

Sometimes i wonder what people do to let go. What horrible thing did one person do to another to warrant divorce or a split.  Sometimes i see others who have turned their backs on God and walked away, taking back their own lives, to live as they desire, for their own momentary pleasures, to live by decisions they are comfortable with vs. abstaining, being self controlled, forgiving, etc.

It was a bad week. The culmination of a long stretch of time riddled with poor circumstances and hard times. We couldn't seem to land on the same page at the same time. I was disappointed and running out of grace and patience. (I'm sure there have been many times that he could say the same) I can honestly say, i contemplated every alternative way to make it end. Then i wrote him a love letter on his laptop, complete with bright decorative graphics and made an icon so he would see it the next morning at work. (according to him, it was so out of character for me, he initially thought it was our youngest daughter)  It reminded him that i LOVE him, no matter if i am disappointed, hurt, angry or plummeting! It gave him renewed belief that our love remains/exists amidst the rubble of real life.

Who knew one little fun love letter would have such a profound affect on him.   I say " I love you" minimum - once a day, yet, seeing is believing. I take care of him and myself and our life, family..etc.. that is seeing right?  Perhaps we take "life" for granted... but, seeing the words on paper (screen), perhaps it was a guy thing, perhaps a (receptive) love language thing, but what ever it was. Fanning the flames of love is essential to it's survival.

Sometimes i think i understand what God was saying to the church in Revelation 2:4 - "This one thing i hold against you, You've forgotten your first love"  Life happens and you may be managing with great integrity and perseverance, but do you remember what it was like, initially, in love?  

I watched a young man pursue a young woman for close to two years, committed to courtship, he did not touch her inappropriately or even kiss her, yet, all roads led to her.  He would do anything for her, go anywhere, no distance too far, no valley too wide! Protective, long suffering (she couldn't push him away hard enough), providing: she couldn't say she needed anything that he didn't materialize what ever it was. If she didn't want to see him, i saw his heart sink, you could almost feel the lump in his throat in your own as you witnessed the look on his face.  He considered ways to make her happy, comfortable, amused. He thought about the future, what it would take to make it and worked toward it with noticeable advancement. He was constantly aware of her needs before she was, and most often offered to meet them.   His was the most exhaustive pursuit of the object of love i think i have seen (besides my husband's : )

First love, do you remember what it was like? What you did, what you/he/she did while enraptured by it? There was nothing in our hearts and  minds that matched the feelings, thoughts and/or desires that we had concerning the object of our affection.  We would almost defy anything for him/her.

It's our responsibility to maintain the volume of energy in our relationships both with God and with our mates and loved ones. But one thing is for sure.  "First Love" holds the key.

I don't remember when the last time was that i wrote him a love letter.  He certainly didn't expect one on the week that i was probably the emotionally weakest that he has ever known me to be.  What he expected was more of my fury, tightening of the ranks, nose to the grind stone work orders... What i resorted to was "first love". In my stretched to the extreme moments i realized, that if the tight wire snapped, i had no desire to let go of my first love, regardless!

Similarly, we must recall our first love feelings, ways and efforts, if we are to maintain our relationship with the Lord.. My letter said to my husband, no matter how i feel about the situation, the way i feel about you hasn't changed. That's all he needed was to hear that. What is God requiring of y our heart. Has it strayed, waxed cold, taken Him for granted, grown angry, impatient, spoiled?

First love:   In all relationships, we must remember  "first love" principles,  if love is to survive
. . Remember
....It's our responsibility to kindle/rekindle the flames.  Even an ember can be fanned to blazing flame.  Who will take the responsiblity to fan to flames?... Many a cold winter's nights have bit upon a once cozy home because someone forgot to fan the fire before retiring to rest.  Super cold times might take more effort. Someone might need to rise early or intermittantly through out the night in order to dispel the cold.
..One thing for sure.. even the bible declares that there are "times and seasons".  So, this too will pass.
Now, whether we or our love for God (or our other covenant relationships)  survive the season is another story.
...The race is not given to the swift or strong, but the one who finishes. In other words: There are not winners or losers, betters or lessors... Just finishers and quitters! We want to hear him say well "done" my good and "faithful" servant
...Don't kid yourself into believing that you will be considered a finisher in a luke warm state. A luke warm state is like a dying ember, it's just moments of time away from being extinguished.
...Be aware of "first love", no matter what season you are in. First  love matters!

Freely Receive

Watch the video: Free Hugs  before reading the blog for full effect.



I love this song. i love many different covers of this song, including my daughter Bethany's cover (funny story behind that,) but the only images the song has ever managed to deposit in my minds eye, are scenes of the major accounts of falling from grace, until i watched this powerful video. 

The video tells a different story altogether. It's a parallel plot line that runs consecutively with the stories of major moral and spiritual failure and their consequent separation from the God whose laws were broken. Presenting a different picture all together, this video tells a story of uninhibited, unleashed, pure, unadulterated, open, offering, no holds barred acceptance. (This is not a question of repentance...repentance comes after one receives grace)  New perspective: Failure of human kind is the reason why grace is needed and how freely the father allows the Holy Spirit to lavish that love and forgiveness upon us.

A young man i care about, told me at length, why he would not go to church or seek out the God of the bible, but my niece came to town and he followed her to church one day. That day, from the beginning of the service, through the worship, sermon and alter time..every reason he cited was hit upon. I covertly shifted my eyes down the row to peak at the young man, and though i was not surprised, he had tears streaming down his face through most of the service. Love wrapped itself around him freely. Not after he changed his mind. Not after he changed his ways... In fact, not long after that, he went to his dad. For some years they had been estranged. He said " Dad, I'm sorry we have been apart for so long, i want that to change."  The dad told my young friend, "Son, I never moved, I've been right here the whole time"  And he hugged him tightly.

It happens that, the young man had been subject to his parents divorce at a young age. It had left him confused, hurt and embittered.  In his misunderstanding and pain, he rejected his dad. Not just the discipline, wisdom and  instruction of his dad, which a young man needs fiercely. What created a chasm, was the young man's resistance to his father's love, acceptance and affection, first and foremost: his fellowship, relationship.

Early circumstances that plagued this family, mainly,  the failure of the marriage had reverberating affects.  We all have something that keeps us out of fellowship with one person or another. Things we let hinder our abilities to give, love, connect, stay connected and in  fellowship.

Grace is never ending, never wavering, never wandering. It is always right where you left it.

Someone owes you? Someone shorted you, offended you?  You know what it feels like to shun, to turn your back on, to dismiss and not deal with anymore... But grace is not familiar with this action of denial.  

"We love Him, because He first (1st) loved us!" 

Accept his grace today. It is liberating, soothing, healing, and most of all it costs you nothing. Which of you has ever been diminished by a hug? Which of you has ever lost a cent, by letting go of resentment and pain?

Which of you has spent too much time citing the reasons why you cannot embrace God? Embrace your place in his arms. Embrace your destiny?   You've sinned, fallen, made mistakes, lost your witness, feel you have no testimony?

Grace is the only testimony that matters. On that day, He said He will say, "Did you know my son?"
That means: Did you know it was your sin that He died for.

You bring that sin to the alter. You don't stash it or hide it so you can come to him. You lay it at his feet: failure, confusion, bitterness, pain, pride.  All of us, in order to accept the son's work, must first see ourselves as being in need of the work. Sin separates us from God. The son's work reconciles us back to God. The holy spirit comes to freely offer the fathers love.

Accept grace today. It doesn't matter where you've been. It matters where you are going.  All of humanity yearns for the touch of Love.   Others witnessing the grace, may also receive: Revelation says: "And they were won by the word of their testimony"

Grace, What's so amazing about grace? "I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind but now i see"
You don't save you, fix you, reconcile you. Grace does all of that. Jesus took care of all of that. He finished the job.   Now the comforter has come. Receive grace as my young friend was able to and it turned his little heart of stone to a heart of flesh.

Watch the video again and ask the holy spirit to release your heart to understand, receive and give grace.

Grace is not about how many times you've fallen, it's about the getting back up. Grace, by definition only exists if their is a failure. Grace is forgiveness. Grace is the washing away of the filth. Grace is the Paid in Full receipt. Grace is the expunge-ment.

Live free, hug freely, remember whose you are, and not who you were. Children of the king. Children of almighty God, Master, Creator of the universe. You are  loved without reservation, forgiven, cleansed, brand spankin' new!!! ..Live new, Live loved,  Live freely!!