Notes of a Newlywed

John (17) and me (16) telling a story at a church in India. Check out his hair! Love is blind!

I met my husband, who is a year my senior, when I was fourteen years old. We married when I was twenty years old, just one year and five months ago. I know that’s young, but we just knew that we loved each other. We knew that we loved in an indescribable way that’s so deep it touches the bottom of our souls. For us, marriage has been the most wonderful experience of our lives. My heart feels such immense joy just sitting with him on the hand-me-down couch in our one-bedroom apartment. With a plate of barely cooked cookie dough and a Red Box movie on our television we feel like we’ve struck it rich. John is my first love and I his.

John and I on one of the happiest days of our lives!

It scares me, though, to see so many married couples that don’t even like each other anymore. It’s not that those couples want to leave each other or are unkind. They even accomplish all kinds of tasks together – taking kids to school, making dinner, paying bills, etc. They persevere through life’s trials amazingly and remain together. It’s just that I just don’t see the love in their relationships, and if there’s not love, what does the rest of it even mean? I wonder, you know, is that going to be John and me? Did those couples ever have what we have or was it always bad? How on earth did they lose that first love that John and I cherish?

I couldn’t help thinking of the letter to the church in Ephesus found in the book of Revelation. The letter says the following:

“…These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance…Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first…” (Rev. 2:1-5, emphasis mine)

The church in Ephesus did great and moral things. They even persevered through tough times and stayed true to their faith in Jesus Christ. In all of that, though, their relationship towards God became kind of like that of an old grumpy married couple, that first love was gone. I think this broke God’s heart because He still dearly loved them and wanted a relationship with them. The church had allowed the relationship to go stale, though, to be about doing good things and not about love for the Lord. And without love, what did all of the rest even matter?

Many of us are at this same point in our relationships with the Lord. We do good and moral things. We may even read our Bibles, pray, volunteer at church, and persevere through spiritual trials. The question, though, is have we forsaken the first love that we had with our precious Father who sent His Son to redeem us? If we do find ourselves at that point, doing without real love, we have the prescription for restoring the relationship: “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”

Speaking of newlyweds, I am so excited to introduce you to the newest Mr. & Mrs. Nolen! Matt and Allison got married this past New Year's Eve!

Have you forgotten your first love in Jesus? Has the relationship gone stale and become about doing? Talk to God and say sorry. Remember that first love and go back to those things you first did. Perhaps that means just sitting alone and thanking God for who He is. Whatever it means for you, get that first love back.

At Conexion 10/40, our first love is Jesus and we believe that Jesus is glorified by the proclamation of His name across the nations. We are so excited to pursue our first love by supporting the missions movement in Latin America and training missionaries! We hope that you’ll join us by praying for Conexion 10/40!

Loving Jesus,
Mary Nolen

Website: www.conexion1040.org

Please join our prayer team by emailing: info@conexion1040.org

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