My first love

Do you remember dating, courting and getting to know your husband? Or a boy you were smitten with? Or your best college girlfriend?

Wouldn’t you MAKE time to just hang out and be together?!!

Time ALONE with him was so special to you because he was a TREASURE to you. Are you feeling any emotions right now? Any great memories? Longings for the past or future? Who is on your mind? Who is it you would love to spend some time with this weekend? Catching up, having coffee, sitting quietly on a couch while you both read, talking about life, sharing some concerns or laughing til you cry.

Can I challenge us this weekend?

Let’s look at and recognize we must get to the place where Christ is our greatest TREASURE! We do this the same way as with earthly relationships. We simply need to spend time with him.

Tangent here…

Bert and I BOTH, in God’s perfect plan (not our parents 🙂 had to go to school one extra semester. This had us graduating in December instead of the traditional May graduation. We both attending Carson Newman College in Jefferson City from the beginning. We knew each other from the first class of our freshman year. Funny side note as I WRITE … it was a entry level (Bert likes to call it REMEDIAL) English class. We both tested so poorly they made us do this class before the normal Freshman English credit. Seriously, and it was at 7:30 AM!!!!! OK, I was thinking this college thing is crazy. I made it – possibly 5 minutes late – and even passed. Yeah, me. Who’s proud? My parents probably were; love their hearts.

Jump forward to the Spring of 1996 where we are back to the month of graduation for our class and Bert and I are both not participating because we have one more semester of classes we need to complete. One night we ended up in the cafeteria together for a late dinner after practices and such. It was fairly empty of students and we ended up sitting together. As we talked we realized we were going through the same bible study on a book called The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. He was going through it with a group of guy friends and me with a few girls – separately. I can safely say this book changed both of our lives significantly. I highly recommend it.

From that day forward, I was intrigued and a more intentional friendship began. Yep, I was finding every chance I could to spend time with this guy that was running toward Christ. Honestly before this we had been in the same friend groups and at all the functions and school groups together. We even went to the same church for a while but we never had dated. He likes to say I looked through him “like a pain of glass.” I like to say God blinded me because I was still young and dumb and flighty and didn’t know what I wanted. God knew I would have ruined it any sooner. It was all God’s perfect timing.

That summer before our last semester, Bert went away to work at a boys camp called Kanakuk?!??! I know, right? What is that? Anyways, from what I knew it was a very secluded outdoor Christian sports camp with very strict rules on their counselors. This camp was also a life changing experience. Check it out online at www.kanakuk.com or on Instagram @kanakukkamps. The counselors lived with the young campers and could not have free time or call anyone except once a month. This was BEFORE cell phones, text, Snap Chat and all the things we have now. So we wrote LETTERS!!!!! Yes, you read me right! Letters on paper and mailed them snail mail. Who does that anymore?

Oh how I looked forward to those letters coming in the mail – misspelled words and all. I just loved hearing what he was up to and how he was doing. We could write as much as we wanted but then there was the phone calls! OH the phone calls were PRICELESS! You see he got ONE, only one day away per month and the camp put the counselor up in a hotel room to be away from all things camp. During this time, they got to use the phone! Like prison, they got their one phone call – lol! It had to be scheduled! I am NOT a scheduled person by nature and the good Lord and my family knows I sure wasn’t back then as a flighty teenager or 21 year old at the time. I would RUSH home – usually from the pool or wherever I was with my friends. Making sure I did not miss that phone call. My friends gave me the hardest time. “Who is this phone call from that is SO important that you will leave the pool or ?? to get home to?”

Remember this was a LAND LINE ladies and gentlemen! NO CELL – NO TEXT messages to just check in or send a cute note. This phone call had to be scheduled during this open window.

To hear his voice was so exciting…

so refreshing…

so invigorating…

and so encouraging!

To know he cared enough to call with the short time he had. He took some of his free time and called ME!

It meant SO MUCH!

How much more does our Heavenly Father LOVE when we will read his love letter to us? How special is it to Him to HEAR our voice call out to Him in praise and prayer? Oh this gives me chill bumps just like those first months of getting to know someone and realizing you are growing deeper with them in love and understanding.

I still long for time alone with my husband! We try our best to carve out time in a consistent manner even in these crazy seasons – because why? Because it is VITAL to our relationship! Because we are still in love and want to stay connected and know each other better.

We want to share special moments

Voice our concerns

Show our appreciation for one another

Express adoration

Study each other and continue to know each other on a deeper lever.

Here is real deep one for you… on our date last week I found out Bert doesn’t like refried beans! Say what? Since when? I had NEVER known that! I serve them ALL the time at our house because all things mexican and tacos are a staple. The kids and I love them and I assumed he liked them as well. Never even noticed he probably politely avoided them. I know you don’t care but there is a point.

We must continue to be a STUDENT of God! A lover of Jesus Christ! He should be top of the list of whom we want to spend time with this weekend. He should give us goose bumps and cause us to plan our schedule around that “PHONE CALL” – that intentional planned ALONE time with Him. As much as I believe in corporate worship – IT. IS. NOT. ENOUGH!!!! Just as in dating or marriage or friendship, we need time with an individual to get to know them and appreciate them more and more.

Take time this weekend.

Sit QUIETLY with God … one your back porch (that’s for my Aunt Bren). The rest of you can sit wherever you like but here in East Tennessee it is gonna be gorgeous. Get out in nature that He created.

Talk OUT LOUD to Him. People might think you are crazy but put in an ear bud and they will just think you are obeying the law with “hands free” and talking to a person. Hehehehe Who cares what they think anyways?

Share your heart with Him. He knows it of course better than you do yourself but let Him in. Let Him know you want Him in! At some point in every relationship we have to let the other person know how much we care and where we want this to go. Let God know you want more of Him. You long to know Him better. For anyone who seeks wisdom should ask! Ask and you shall receive!

Write it down. Journaling is a good way to get your thoughts or questions out and record them. Or write down your prayers or all the things, big and small that you are grateful for. Simply write out a scripture you read or that you love.

Read His love letter to you. It just might give you goose bumps. But it is not all emotional – it is about intentionally taking time for someone. He is waiting. He is there. He is available – at any hour. You don’t have to wake up at 5am to do this. Just do it! I promise you won’t regret it!

Signing off for now as I am about to type so long I am gonna forget to go pick up my kiddos from school! OOPS! Off to Atlanta to celebrate a few birthdays and say goodbye for a few months to my precious niece as she takes off on an adventure with her job to California. Fun and exciting things – I may update you or post an Instagram story of the shenanigans if I can remember.

Remember…I love you ALL 1,000 elephants!

Your Rooted and Restless friend,

Tara