First love

3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.

4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first![a] 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. - Rev 2:3-5a NLT

Aww fresh love...

I lay in my bed and read a a book, something I rarely get a chance to do, while my husband enjoyed his new game a friend got him. I looked up over the edge of the book a few times when his heroic efforts on the screen were met with a match, who also fought for the glory of the win. Loud and sudden outbursts of victory or dismay always followed.

Nothing was wrong with this-
except-

I realized this was sometimes the extent of us spending time together. And with the limited time together we have, it made me think that we could do better. Maybe.

Later that night I recalled how things were when we were first together in high school.

I tried to think of the lengths we would go to just to spend time with one another. I remembered the walks at the harbor and the bus trips into town, and the immaculately planned out picnics with Kentucky Fried chicken uh huh- fancy that he would plan just for us. 

I remembered how simply a hand hold was soooo romantic and a hug was out of this world. 

I remembered that I would squeeze his arm and lay my head on his shoulder and be in pure bliss. 

I recall the hours on the phone we would spend talking about everything and nothing. 

When we got married and moved into our first apartment we would always find a way to be connected. We would lay together all squished on the couch watching a movie and fall asleep peacefully crammed on the sofa.

See when you are freshly in love, the simplest things are the big things. Nothing at that moment is too much to do for your love.

SO I wonder

How can we get back to the freshness of love?

The Lord whispers to me to "do the works you did at first." 

Huh?

"Do the works you did at first", he says to me again.

Remember the way you looked at him when he walked into a room. Remember the way you gravitated toward him when he was near. 

Give him the attention you gave him when you were first in love. Take part in the things he loves to do,  the way you used to. 

Yep,nothing was too much to do for him. I was willing to jump and deliver what I thought would please him. It was the same from him toward me. 

I then thought, "but God that was before- well- everything else. That was before bills, and jobs, and mouths to feed and projects to help with, and manners to teach, and fights to break up. So would you divinely grant me the grace and energy to do what i used to do? Would you reignite a fresh love inside my heart toward my husband that will compel me to lavish freshly inspired love-deeds on him once again? Let what pleases him bring me delight. 

So I've decided to be more intentional in my manifestation of the love I profess to have toward my spouse.

and toward my God.

I want my union to be sustained by more than just commitment, but motivated by love itself.