First Love

When I hear the term “first love” I usually think the reference is to the first person you “fell in love” with. I looked at it with a bit deeper meaning this morning. The people who taught me to love are my parents. They have been in my life since the very beginning. They loved me without strings attached. They loved me when I was crying, because I couldn’t talk to them. They also loved me when I pooped my pants.  I also know that they taught me about the love of God through His Son Jesus. As I think about the context, my parents were probably the “first love” for me.  As John writes to the church at Ephesus – they have forgotten their first love. Check this out….

The Lord loved me first before anyone – He is my Creator. My parents also loved me and poured into my life. They taught me love by loving me and loving others while I was around them. They also taught me love others because I saw them love others. They taught me how to love my wife because of their love for each other.

As a child, there are simple things I did to show them love and I continue today to do. I love to hug my parents.  A hug communicates so much more than a handshake or a pat on the back.

As I reflect on my journey with my wife, I remember things I did when we were dating. I need to reflect and return to some of those expressions of love. It’s easy to get sidetracked in the everyday and the mundane part of life. I want to reignite my genuine love that I learned early in life. I want to express love to One who loved me first. I want to express love to the ones who showed me how to love. I want to show love for the one whom I’ve chosen to spend my life with. Love is basic – I sometimes make it way to complicated.