Awhile back I was waiting, not so patiently, to drive in front of the WalMart so I could go down the row and find a parking place. Have you ever noticed that the people exit the doors and walk out in front of the cars without looking either way. I suppose they think that the drivers will look out for the pedestrians. Well, sometimes I get a little irritated at this. This particular time was no exception. Only something caught my eye and immediately took my mind off my irritation and brought my thoughts back to God.
A young couple, probably in their late teens, was walking towards the entrance of the store. Now, I normally would've gotten upset because they had no idea they had just walked out in front of a car. They were so engrossed in one another's company. So why was this different than the other times I would get irritated? I noticed something about the girl that I hadn't seen in myself in a very long time. She had her arm intertwined in his. She was looking up at him with such adoration. And she was captivated in whatever he was saying. Of course I started to think to myself - "yeah, you probably don't have any idea about the sports or cars he is talking about, but you love him so much you would never let on you don't care about the things he is saying. You only care about him at this moment." Then another fleeting thought came to mind. "Boy, are you in for a rude awakening." BUT! The Lord stopped my thoughts and I dismissed the negative thoughts immediately. The wonderful thing that the Lord wanted me to notice about this relationship was the fact that "they enjoyed one another's company so much that they were unaware of their surroundings and the people watching them." So, how did this relate to something I haven't seen in myself in such a long time? Yes, it could be I haven't felt such adoration for my husband like that for the longest time. I haven't always enjoyed his company. We don't have stimulating conversations. And we never walk arm in arm or even beside one another in public. I need to work on finding those feelings again. You know the ones when you look forward with anticipation to his arrival. You hang onto his every word, even if what he says is not the least important to you. You yearn for his companionship. Your heart skips a beat or two just from the sight of your husband.
I would like to say that is what the Lord had me realize while watching the love struck couple. But it is not so. What the Lord had me realize was that I have not felt that way about HIM in a very long time. Don't get me wrong. I love the Lord. I enjoy my time I make for Him (caught that didn't you?). I long to hear what He has to say. Only, it has been quite awhile since I gazingly looked up to my Heavenly Father with adoration. I haven't been such a wonderful companion to Him. I do more talking (rather arguing and asking- or is it more demanding?) than I do listening to the Lord. I mope, moan, groan, and complain, just like I do in my marriage, in my relationship with the Lord. No wonder He had that couple cross my path. It took strangers to make me realize I have been estranged from the Lord.
When did I fall out of love with the Lord? When did I stop looking forward to His arrival and His conversations? When did I lose the skipping of the heartbeats upon seeing Him? When did I leave the Lord in our relationship? I have not severed myself from Him. I still love the Lord, but sometime or another my part of our relationship became estranged. I am still faithful to my Heavenly Father, but I am somewhat liken to a teenager. I know everything and my Father can't teach or tell me anything new. I stopped being "daddy's little girl" and went on my own merry way. I haven't left Him, just "lost that loving feeling." I don't have time to maintain the relationship we once had. The relationship one has when they first get saved. That this is the best feeling in the world and this is the best thing that has ever happened to me feeling. But through the irritation of a young couple, the Lord opened my eyes to the fact that the feeling is still there for Him. He has never stopped loving me nor yearning for my company. He has never stopped listening to me with sincerity. He has never stopped caring about me. He has not fallen out of love with me. He longs for us to have that relationship we had in the beginning of our journey together. He wants me to walk hand in hand or arm in arm with Him. He longs for me to be engrossed only in Him, not so busy in my worldly duties and activities. He has been looking forward with anticipation of my arrival back to Him. He has not been too busy to visit with me or just listen to me in my time of need. He has made time for me because He loves me unconditionally, but, it must sadden Him so to know that I neglect Him so often. I don't mean to. I really have every intention to spend time with Him. I really do... Have your ever been to that point where the Lord has to put a stranger in your path and cause great irritation before you will listen to what He has to say?
I realize that it is a busy time and one probably says to oneself several times a day - "where has the time went?" And then one probably says - "I didn't get half of what I wanted to get done today, Or I didn't have time for myself today." But more truthfully, one probably has said more than once today - "I didn't have time to open my Bible; I didn't have time to spend any devotional time with the Lord." And most honestly, "I didn't make time for the Lord today, even though He has given me 24 hours to work with." I can testify to that most definitely.
Do you yearn for more time with the Lord? Do you want to walk with Him down the pathway of life, arm in arm? Do you need to rekindle your feelings and put the joy back into your relationship with the Lord? Do you long for a loving relationship with Him? Do you desire the Lord to be in your life 100%? Are you willing to fall back in love with Him as you first did the day you got saved? First things first. You must come to realize that Jesus says in I Jn 2:15-17 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."
It is God's will for us to return the love He has for us. To know what God's will is for your life you must read His Word. And more than that, you must as James tells us in Jms 1:22 "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." Once one realizes what God wants from her, it is her responsibility to go and do what the Lord wants. In this case that we are discussing - loving the Lord thy God "with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might"(Deut. 6:6), that is the will of God. Scripture says, I Jn 2:3-6 "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked."
We can begin this new walk in our relationship with the Lord together. He doesn't want us to go alone. He wants us to have a relationship with one another also. One that will uplift us in our walk with the Lord. Mt 5:6 says, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." Do you hunger and thirst after God's righteousness? The Lord will fulfill that hunger. A verse you can reflect on in your journal writing is found in Ps 107:9 "For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness."
It is so good to be able to share with you in your journaling experiences. We can write about our desires and how our soul longs to have a righteous relationship with the Lord. We can write about how He fills our lives with such wonderful friends. That is the "goodness" part you can look forward to Him filling your life with. One may never be a millionaire, but when you have friends and family who will support you and pray for you and love you, that my friend is priceless. You can find satisfaction through Jesus Christ. Give it a try. Show the Lord as much love as you first did when you accepted Him into your heart and found true salvation. Begin that rebuilding of a relationship with Him that you had in the beginning. He will satisfy your longing. He will fill your hunger. And this is what the Lord had me realize on my trip to WalMart that day. Thank you for letting me share this with you. I love you dearly. Let's walk in love with the Lord together.
I hope you have been prompted to write about how you remember falling in love with Lord. You can also write about when you first fell in love with your husband. Remember looking at your newborn for the first time? You immediately fell in love with him/her. Write about that. Write about others you love dearly such as family members and friends.
If you haven't been writing in your journals lately, may you be prompted to fall back in love with journaling again. God be with you as you journey down memory lane with your pen and paper today...
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