First Love.

As I was writing tonight, the Lord stopped me in my tracks with the vision of a beautiful wedding and I knew what He really wanted to say. So ladies, let’s talk.If we’re being honest, I dream about my future husband and all the wild things we’ll get to do for God all the time. I get overtaken by the radical ways we’ll get to serve God together and how special our love will be. I have a Pinterest board called “get hitched,” and I pin things and dream about that big wedding day where I’ll pledge my forever to someone that my soul knows deeply. It’s fun and seems harmless, but the Lord has so lovingly stopped me in my tracks and reminded me of my first love.I’ve been getting so lost in Song of Solomon, it’s my favorite book in the Bible. I spend hours reading and re-reading the book just getting swept off of my feet by the lover of my soul. When you give Jesus the chance to romance you, I think you’ll be surprised how wildly in love you really are.I think as young women, we often can forget that we are the Bride of Christ. Isaiah 54:5 says that the maker is our husband, and what a wild thought that is. The one who formed the stars and knows them all my name looks at me and sees His Bride. In the vision I saw a beautiful wedding where the union between Jesus and I was being celebrated grandly. Even as I type, the Lord shows me more, but He said to leave out details. I believe that even now as you read, He’s going to give you visions of the wedding that He’s designed for YOU specifically. In this moment he wants to sweep you off of your feet and share a dance with you.Don’t get me wrong here, I’m still so excited for marriage and to meet my future husband. I believe in interceding for the man you’re going to marry because he is of course a real person with real problems and real need for the Lord. So I pray for him, but I let myself get swept away with thoughts of my first love.I let Him talk to me as I sit at his feet and love Him back. Just like it’s the first time that I fell in love with Jesus, like the first time He swept me off my feet I will lock eyes with him and let my soul blaze for Him. At first, I struggled with the how. How do I let the Lord love me. I don't quite know how to rest, so I wasn't really sure how I could just sit while Jesus reminded me of the vast expanse of his love. How  could I sit still, I needed to run around and do things for Him and tell people about this love. But, he said to sit. He said "let me love you." So, I learned. I learned how to be Mary at his feet rather than Martha who was serving him. You see, they both still were loving Jesus, but He just wanted the simple attention and affection that Mary was willing to give.So, get swept away. Run away with the Lord. Let Him love you.words by Samantha Imada and photo by Hailey Pierce