My First Love

Ive been a Christian for more than 10 years now. Ive been involved in different ministries in
the different seasons Ive been part of the church. I have always believed in the importance of growing
together as a family in pursuing Christ. However, when I started working full time in a Christian School,
I became less involved. I became busy in the ministries of the school where we served in outreach
programs. I started attending services from other churches that were of better proximity to where I work.
The school I was working in was very hands-on with the students and the teachers were very involved
with their lives. I ended up neglecting the church family I came from and focused more on the new
ministries I found myself in.

While working, I would get burnt out and then refreshed through spiritual retreats. This became a
cycle. I made the ministry an excuse for not attending to my daily personal growth. I kept serving and
ministering to students but I was drawing out from my own strength and understanding. All those times,
God would remind me to draw close to Him. Meditating on Gods Word became a routine. It also
became necessary since I had to teach devotionals to students every 4 times a week.

When I was preparing for the board exam, the more I got busy, and neglected my time with the
Lord. During the review, I met Christian friends who encouraged me and reminded me how faithful God
is that He bring us together to encourage each other. We started going to Sunday services together and
enjoyed our journey towards passing the LET. We rejoiced when we all passed it together, but we were
not able to stay connected after the review.

Just last year, my mom passed away and I was devastated and decided to go home to Cebu. And
that was also the time I met my first boyfriend. He became a source comfort. His presence was a
blessing and He helped me get past through my loss. However, I became quite distracted with our
relationship, with all its struggles and issues. We had several misunderstandings and had a really
difficult time resolving them. I was also in the middle of putting up a business, and always had my
hands full of the responsibilities that accompanied it. I became even more distant from God.

When we started attending the services at Corner Stone, we both got refreshed by the presence of
the Holy Spirit. I started enjoying Gods Word again, and the company of Kloe. She often visited me
and prayed for me. I appreciated and enjoyed the fellowship of believers again. And when I attended the
encounter, the more I was refreshed and revived. I remembered how God first introduced Himself to me
as a loving Father, and how Jesus became the Lover of my soul. My yearning and hunger for Him was
renewed indeed.

The post-encounter classes also reminded me of how important it is to have a mind steadfast in
Gods truth. God replanted me, and He is giving me a new opportunity to grow and enjoy the fellowship
of believers again. Most importantly, I was and am continuously reminded to pursue my FIRST LOVE.