My First Love

Before every start of the year, I will have this conversation with God. What will it be for this year? What will be my direction?

2020 was simple. He just told me to go back to my first love. So I went back to my childhood memory lane and listed down the three things that I’ve first loved:

One

Volleyball is one of my first loves. When my school presented an opportunity to learn volleyball at the age of twelve, I was all in! Instead of resting during summer breaks, I’ll be at school to do circuit training. Every week I have a fresh bruise and scratches because of the uneven cemented court we have at school. But nothing can stop me for the love of my sport.

Two

Novels have been a part of my childhood. My brothers influenced me to read classic and fantasy novels. Books have awakened my imagination to a world full of mystery, magic, and love. It was my father who also built our family library and trained me to read self-help books. He introduced me to John Maxwell, Myles Munroe, and a lot of brilliant authors that I’ve learned to love. These wonderful books have molded me into the person I am now. I’ve learned to discover my depth by seeing through the eyes of these beautiful minds.

Three

If there’s one thing that I will always be proud of, it’s being raised in a family that loves, not just food, but GREAT food! I’ve learned even in my youth that food really brings people together. Whenever there are qualms of some sort, our meals would bring everyone together again to the table with a light heart. Associating food with gleeful faces gave me the motivation to learn to cook and bake

These things quite drifted by the wayside as my young adult life focused on work and other life demands. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy and content. I love expressing my creativity in the current working field that I’m involved in.

But remembering the adrenaline rush of every volleyball championship, the sweet bliss after reading a superb novel, or the delight in creating food made me realize - I don’t have to lose those things I’ve first loved. They made me who I am today.

These quarantine months gave me the perfect opportunity to go back to these firsts. And re-learning what I’ve formerly loved made me fall in love deeper with the One that loved me first. The one that made sure I got introduced to my first coach, or set me up in this specific family that loves reading and eating. It made me love who I am today. I know God intricately designed these because He first loved me.