Back To The Start

“All good things must come to an end.” -Geoffrey Chaucer

I’m sure you are familiar with this popular saying. It is credited to English poet and author, Geoffrey Chaucer who lived in the 1300’s. The concept is drawn from one of his poems entitled Troilus and Criseyde. The story is one of tragic love and how even the most wondrous of all human emotions, one day, will be no more.

But must it be as such?

The thrilling rush, of a heart’s flutter

Mind, body and soul immersed in awe and wonder, of another

Would draw its last breath, falling to a hush

Then silent and cold, merely a memory

A fable to be told

(Sorry… didn’t mean to breakout into prose. It’s just something that comes over me when I think about poetry :-)

Now, back to my original question. Must all good things really come to an end? The answers would be wildly varied if you asked this among the masses. Children would resoundingly say- Yes, as the yellow school buses begin to fire back up for business again; however, a mother may be rejoicing with the same scenario.

A family on vacation hates to see the ticking down of the minutes until they must return home, except for the moody teenager who is anxious to get back and see their friends, because after all- hanging out with parents is lame.

As you can see, one person’s perspective of a “good thing” could be another’s nightmare; however, in a general sense, the sentiment of the statement is true. Whatever “good thing” is going on in your world, at some point, the last page will be turned and the book closed.

Perhaps, not all things need to be this way; however. In Mr. Chaucer’s poem, he spoke of lovers whose relationship would come to an end, but what if we had a love that was unending? One that even death, itself, could not stop? How would that be possible?

In Christ Alone is the answer.

When you first come to give your life to Jesus, repent of your sins and choose to obey and follow Him, there is such a giddy, joyous excitement which covers your heart. It’s fulfilling and glorious. You feel lighter and experience hope like never before.

Then, a few weeks later, you are hit with job stress, family issues, marriage woes; and you begin to feel the winds coming from the dark places of the Earth, blowing in determination to extinguish the flames of passion that burned hot and bright.

The burdens and weariness of the world we live in, can lead to “faith burnout". We start to grow restless and fatigued, which is when things begin to slide and our drive slows down. Is our love for the Lord slowly fading? Will the flames, flicker and eventually falter?

“Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” -Revelation 2:4

Our faith relationship will have hills and valleys, it is the way of human nature, but understand this- God does not change, nor does He move from us. Any drifting of our relationship, any shift in our emotions toward Jesus Christ, lands squarely on our shoulders.

You may feel that is being too harsh, but I believe in speaking full truth, especially when it is difficult to swallow. Stop pointing fingers to everyone or anything else in your life, as an excuse for your struggling walk with Christ. If the firewood is only down to a few glowing embers, the blame is yours alone. We are the tender of the coals of our heart, no one else.

Multiple times throughout my faith journey, I have heard other christians fall into the trap of complaining their season of spiritual growth is stagnant. Wondering around the wilderness, everything cracked and crispy like an overdone potato.

While it is true, we will have moments along the straight and narrow path that seem monotonous, we must not allow this to develop into a crutch of slothfulness when it comes to how we treat our relationship with the Lord.

“For this reason [that is, because of God’s final revelation in His Son Jesus and because of Jesus’ superiority to the angels], we must pay much closer attention than ever to the things that we have heard, so that we do not [in any way] drift away from truth.” -Hebrews 2:1 (Amp, emphasis added)

I had the privilege over the weekend to attend the wedding of the daughter of one of my dearest friends. It was a beautiful ceremony, with every detail showing the careful planning and consideration required to complete such a blessed event.

As this young couple begins their life together, it will take the same care and consideration over the years, to maintain a vibrant love which does not wax cold. Honoring and respecting each other. Engaging in meaningful dialogue to help gain a better understanding of one another's personalities and quirks. Carving out intentional time within busy schedules, affirming the other spouse of their importance.

All of these things and so many more little details, year after year, is what keeps a marriage thriving. This world will grow dark at times and the storms will come upon you so fiercely, you truly believe you will drown, but clinging to the hand of the one you love and determining to never let go, is a recipe for “Happily Ever After.”

Why, dear friends, do we treat our relationship with God differently? If I spend the next six months of my marriage rarely speaking to my husband, periodically stop, merely a handful of times to spend with him before I move on to the next thing, and ignore the desires of his heart- my relationship is going to swirl down the drain at a rapid pace.

Suppose, I pointed my finger at him, complaining I felt distant, when the whole time it was me who was unengaged. You would think I was a total narcissist, but this is what so many will do in their faith journey. They do very little to interact with Jesus daily, but then whine to Him and others, they feel dry and worn out.

Just as with any relationship, our commitment to the Lord is work. You must put in the effort to achieve the desired outcome, which is a vibrant, walk that keeps steppin’, even on the most difficult days.

So, think back to your first Love. The moment you received your salvation and the rush of emotions that flooded your heart. Put into action the things you have been taught in the Word to help keep the flames fanned. Slow down and spend time in prayer to connect with Him daily. Remain in fellowship and community with other like-minded followers, and spur each other on in love and truth. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

God desires to develop a thriving relationship with His children. I mean, John 3:16 tells us very clearly how He feels about His people. Break off old habits keeping you from spending time with Jesus, which grows your knowledge of Him and increases your faith. This is what will sustain you through the seasons when your heart feels parched.

Finally, repent. Come back to your first love. Turn away from the idols of distraction that will choke out the flames of passion for the things of the Kingdom. The devil does not sleep, so neither can we. Awaken oh sleeper, and stay alert! (Ephesians 5:14, Isaiah 51:17, Isaiah 60:1, Romans 13:11)

Dig those heels in and purpose in your heart, so you will not sway to the left or right. Christ’s love is the one good thing we possess in this life and the next to come, which will never finalize to an end. It is the miraculous gift that breaks the paradigm, which states everything we own will one day be turned to dust and blow away in the breeze. You; however, are set firm in the palm of His hand for all eternity. (Isaiah 49:15-16)

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts, you double-minded. -James 4:8

When someone is working on a crochet piece, and they get to a place where they realize they have messed up the stitch count, they know the best thing to do is pull it out and start afresh. Why do they do this? Because they realize the end product will not be as good as it should be, if the stitching error is not removed and the proper stitch is made moving forward.

God is perfectly fine if you need to unravel some things to get back to the start of your relationship with Him. Do whatever it takes to regain your focus and drive. Sometimes this means starting afresh and coming fully back to your first love. Be reminded of why you gave your life to Christ in the first place, and let that be the fuel you use to keep you moving ever closer to Him.