by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan
Last night, as our youngest daughter Bailey and her boyfriend Grant sat at our dinner table, I was reminded of how tender and sweet new love can be. Their conversation carried me back to a moment when Chris and I had just started dating, ten years ago…
Last night in the kitchen, we talked about the kind little things that people who are young in their relationship take the time to share with each other. I found myself remembering a tender moment that Chris and I had when we first started dating ten years ago. On my 37th birthday, we had been dating for a month.
With a sweet smile and a twinkle in his eye, Chris gave me a birthday gift. I received a navy colored ring box that night with a large black paper clip and a note inside. The paper clip was for me to use inside my classroom when I couldn’t find one, and the note explained that Chris was promising me that day to always be there for me and my girls no matter what. As I teared up by such sweet sentiment, he handed me a dainty diamond promise ring.
I put it on my left ring finger that night, and I wore it until we were married for five years (when he upgraded it to a new wedding set). Even when I was in high school, I had never received a promise ring, and I know some people probably think it is strange that my then boyfriend who was forty years old would get a thirty seven year old woman a promise ring, but at the time, he his heart pursued mine.
He knew that his promise to be there for me and for my girls would be the most important promise I had ever received. Other than God, my parents, and grandmothers, no one had consistently been there for me since I had become a single mother of two children until that very day.
Then last night as I remembered that very special day, I found myself going to bed wearing my promise ring, leaving my very expensive wedding set in the jewelry box. This morning, Chris asked me, “Jennifer, why aren’t you wearing your engagement ring and wedding band? Why are you wearing that cheap promise ring?”
Offended at the question, I quickly replied, “I am wearing it because you gave it to me out of love, and it represents a time when you pursued me. We haven’t pursued each other in a while. We both forgot our anniversary this year.” All day today, I have worn my promise ring with my first wedding band. The micro-pave diamonds on these slender bands are tiny, yet mighty.
As I noticed the rings slight weight against my skin, I noticed the Holy Spirit’s whisper; He got my attention. So, I paused and asked the Lord why I was still wearing the promise ring, He gently but firmly reminded me:
“Because you need to return to a life of pursuing both of your husbands.”
Not only Chris—but also Jesus, my eternal Bridegroom.
Conviction and Call
In that moment, conviction fell heavy. Have I grown too comfortable in my faith? Have I become content being a “church member” instead of a bride who runs to meet her Bridegroom? The truth is simple: there have been seasons when my pursuit has wavered—when I’ve taken “time off” from using the very talents and blessings He entrusted me with to worship and to glorify Him.
In the very reminder of my promise ring, the Lord is calling me back—not just to walk—but to RUN after the Lamb of God with every fiber of my being. He has reminded me of my FIRST LOVE!!
Scripture Reflections
- “I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.” — Hosea 2:19
- “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.” — Revelation 19:7
- “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” — Matthew 22:37
- “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.“— Revelation 2:4-5
A Call to Pursuit
Jesus has already pursued us with a love that is unbreakable, unshakable, and eternal. He sealed His promise not with a ring, but with a cross. The question is: are we still pursuing Him in return?
My question to myself is: am I still pursuing Him in return?
Today, He’s calling us—His Bride—to return to our First Love. To live every moment in pursuit of the Bridegroom who gave everything for us.
This very day–Jesus wants to remind my heart of what it feels like to be totally in love with Him to the point of constant pursuit. I already know what it feels like for Him to pursue me, but what am I not being obedient concerning the pursuit of my Savior and my Lord.
Clearly, I have to step outside of my comfort zone and my own stagnate “religious” walk in order to RUN AFTER THE LAMB of GOD as hard and as fast as I possibly can with my body, my mind, my heart, my talents, and with every cell of my being.
Jesus has already given everything. The cross is His eternal promise. Now the question rests with us: are we still chasing after Him as fiercely as He has chased after us?
We cannot afford to grow stagnant, cold, or distracted. As His Bride, we are called to return to the passion of first love and to RUN AFTER THE LAMB of GOD together—with fire in our hearts and faith in our steps. May we not only say we love Him, but show it with every breath of our lives.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You are the Bridegroom who has pursued us with unrelenting love. Forgive us for the times we have grown comfortable, distracted, or complacent. Teach us what it means to properly submit to You—not out of duty but out of love. Stir our hearts to pursue You with passion, joy, and obedience, every single day. Draw us back to the fire of our first love, and help us to run after You with all our strength, all our gifts, and all our being. Amen.
Challenge for the Week
This week, set aside intentional time each day to pursue Jesus as your First Love. That may look like singing a song of worship, journaling a prayer of love to Him, or stepping out of your comfort zone to serve someone in His name. Ask yourself each day: “Am I pursuing Him as much as He has pursued me?”
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The Aging English Major 