1 Corinthians 13: 4-13

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

My first love.  It’s one of those things that SEEM like a hard thing to answer, but after everything else is stripped away, the answer is too obvious to be denied.  I mean…

I “loved” cheetos…

I “loved” the first boy I kissed on the playground…

I “loved” my first real long-term boyfriend…

And, maybe I did – If you want to go by Webster’s definition which sums love up by simply having an attraction, devotion, attachment or enthusiasm about something.

So, I’m changing this.  My first TRUE love…

And, that was God.  True love is patient and kind.  It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs, isn’t envious, boastful or prideful.  It protects, trusts, and perseveres.

I can’t really honestly say those things about cheetos, the first boy I kissed, or my first long term boyfriend.

I’ve often been asked when I was first “saved” – most people have a date and time and place they can spout off like an rsvp card.  For me, it’s been from the beginning.  For me, my God saves me each and every day.

And THIS, this being taught about God and instilling a deep love for Him and to hold Him first, was one of the greatest gifts my parents ever gave me.

Without Him, I wouldn’t have learned how to TRULY love others as I’ve matured and grown.  (Not that I’m always successful at it, but I strive for that “true love”.)

Welcome back!