In our time in Rome, I sent photos to our son every day of us kissing in front of some extremely famous place. The first was at the Colosseum.
Next was at St. Peter’s Basilica.
Then there was the Spanish Steps.
And, finally, Trevi Fountain.
I consider this marriage security, to be enamored with my husband and share physical affection. And for J and daughter B, it’s life security. Their parents are in love…like “Gaga” In Love.
Sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day of “busy” that we forget to be romantic. We forget the love we have for one another as we do the business of life as spouse, parent, child, worker, coach, caregiver, whatever. That’s why Christopher and I shoot for a week of vacation together, just us, each year. Sometimes the vacay is exotic; sometimes it’s domestic. But it’s the time we spend together to get back to the roots of when we first fell in love.
It’s the same with our faith.
In the second chapter of Revelation, Jesus is speaking to the Church in Ephesus:
“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.” Revelation. 2:2
Have you been married long? If so, you KNOW that being in relationship is made of hard work and perseverance. A good marriage doesn’t just HAPPEN; it takes work and attention. It takes dedication.
“You have persevered and endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary.” (Revelation 2:3)
Christopher and I have been married for 25 years in November. You wanna talk about hardships? Let’s talk dysfunction, addiction, and infertility. What about when you are working entirely different shifts? Let’s talk coming to faith at different times and genetic disease requiring a year of treatments, talk of divorce and fights. Any marriage has had hardships. Ours has had many.
How did we survive it?
Jesus.
Only Jesus.
Back in Chapter Two of Revelation, at the Ephesian Church, God is telling them how He has seen all they had done. Believers in Ephesus just stuck to it. They kept keeping on.
But the whopper line is in verse 4:
“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.”
What was their “first love” supposed to be?
Jesus.
Did they get so caught up in the business of “doing church” that they forgot WHY they were doing it? The whole point is to love and follow Jesus with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength and with all our mind. (Luke 10:27) Jesus said this was the greatest commandment. And then we were to love our neighbor as ourself.
Who do you suppose your Numero Uno neighbor is if you’re married? Yeah, that’s right! Your spouse.
Christopher and I may have forsaken our first love where our marriage is concerned for way too many years, but we are trying our best to never, ever do THAT again. We are trying to never forget out First Love.
Why?
Jesus.
So, if you see our son out and about, say Hi. If you ask him about his parents kissing all over Rome, watch for the smile that comes across his face and see what he says…”They love each other…and they’re weird.”
I’ll take that.
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