“Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” Revelation 2:4 NKJV
When I turned 30, I started a journey of self-reflection that I hoped would be brief, trying to understand what next, identify current and new gifts, be sure of my passions, purpose, and so on. Let’s just say I got confused and the journey took a couple of months. I wanted to be sure I was focused on the right things, without drifting through the rest of my life.
One evening, with these questions living rent-free in my head, I was in a bible study gathering and our Pastor referred to the scripture above. While most people looked at it in the context of reigniting our love for Christ, something else in my head came on.
Because of the predominant thoughts I had, I started remembering the first expressions of my gifts and talents, the type of message I shared at the time, the things I talked about with so much passion and zeal and like gushing water, my head was full, my eyes lit up and almost all my questions were answered at once.
Many times, during the birth (or first use) of what we are good at, we’re in our purest form, finding expression with no hindrances. We’re writing, singing, building, or talking about something (a message/mission) that’s so connected with our purpose.
But for many people, life starts to unfold, experiences take place and what we just discovered gets choked out until we forget what it was. The years roll by and we reach a breaking point where we start asking questions about our identity, the future and the next steps when unknown to us, we already have the answers buried in the past.
Sometimes, all it takes is to unearth what is hidden instead of trying to discover something new. And to do that, something has to reveal it. It can be a book, a podcast, a piece of advice, a coaching session or some quiet time with God’s word.
When you remember those first expressions, you’ll realise that over time, you have gathered several skills to help you present your message to the world more effectively. You’ll no longer be as crude as before, but better, faster and smarter. So, what was your first love? It could be one, or many, it doesn’t matter.
No life experience happens in isolation. It’s all connected and the help we need to find that connection is probably around the corner. May we always be at the right place, at the right time, doing the right things so we can get the right answers to the many questions we have.
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