I believe God is love….
What is your first encounter with “GOD”? ….{ or whom you were told is God, anyways…}
What is your first encounter with LOVE? (keep it clean…tee hee. 
Bring on lively discussion here….
and no…I’m not bored.
but curious,
Storie
My first encounter with love…
…my absolute earliest memory of that takes place when I was just a child. My parents had taken us to visit someone they knew. I must have been two or three years old. But I fell alseep. So my mother picked me up to carry me out to the car. She tripped in the darkness and broke her leg, but she never dropped me.
…my second memory of love would be anything and everything to do with my grandmothers and my grandfather. They always loved everyone equally, which was my first glimpse of God’s great and unconditional love.
…as I reached my teenage years I of course made the mistake of confusing love with lust.
….now I see love as accepting someone as they are, warts and all. It takes a great deal of patience, but I’m trying really hard to share what God has graciously given me.
My First encounter with God happened, i believe, before i was born ( i think it it the same for all of us) but the ’shock’ of childbirth causes us to forget the experience in all but our ‘Soul’ – a part of us KNOWS what God wants us to do while we are ‘here’ – very specifically, not just the general – “Do Good Worship/Love Him” type of thing. If we learn how to listen to what our Soul has to say we can follow His Will for us.
My first experience of love had to have happened in hospital… i would have been less than one day old… the hospital nurse, knowing my mother had a ‘fear’ of holding a baby because of the way their heads ‘wobble’ and need support, stood at the base of her bed with me in her arms, swaddled, and THREW me at her!
Once she had successfuly caught me she immediately formed a bond of love. that still remains.
‘My first love would have been Julie -and older woman – she was 5 and i was 3 and a half!
I would follow Julie EVERYWHERE and that included her school where i would stand outside the classroom all day till she was allowed home.
The teacher took sympathy on this pathetic love-struck kid and let me sit in class with here until my parents moved and we rarely saw one another after that
Human love rarely lasts – even if we want it too – some circunstances can just make it ‘impossible’.
Fortunately there is one love that Does – until we decide ‘otherwise’.
And even then it is just us who no longer ‘loves’..His Love is sometimes ‘harsh’ when we may not agree with what is ‘necessary’ – but is never-ending.
And i agree with Nor – love and lust can get confused by many. Took me a long time to see the difference.
<B
Kevin Sands- jr high!!
But I found real love… In my sophmore year of high school. When I found the Love of Christ..
It’s undeniable and unshakeable!!!
First encounter with love?
Probably my grandparents. My grandfather was always happy to see me, big kiss and hug, lots of laughter. He cherished me and I knew it.
I thought I was in love lots, all through school. I really felt loved when I met Phat and he loved me, freckles and all.
I found out about Jesus’ love early in life. I probably “felt” it when I recognized my evil and knew He didn’t reject me. He called me to Him and I couldn’t resist.
my first encounter with God:
when i was 13 or 14 and i went to see (well i was told to go) to a family counselor. Her name was Joanne and she told me about this man who loved me so much that he died for me, I wanted to be with him, so i responded to his love for me. I remember thinking how clean i felt, I knew nothing about Him, all I know is that He loved me and I loved him! From there…. He, my Lord, became my I am.
Early on I have had a misconception of what love was (from other people), I mistaken lust for love most of my growing up. I would have to say though my grandparent was my first experience with genuine love. They accepted me for me, they lit up every time they saw me,………….. I was truly loved by them with no strings attached.
Nor~
“She tripped in the darkness and broke her leg, but she never dropped me.”
ahhh….so beautiful.
“my second memory of love would be anything and everything to do with my grandmothers and my grandfather. They always loved everyone equally, which was my first glimpse of God’s great and unconditional love.”
I have heard this a lot. It is so interesting to me how grandparents, who were first time parents themselves, have so much to offer, isn’t it?
I love it, and as a parent, that gives me so much hope!
“confusing love with lust.”
so true of youth….I am going to do a study on this
thanks for the food for thought!
Pearl, you too! We just talked about this.
“accepting someone as they are”
yes, we need help with this at times, don’t we?
I ask God to show me his heart, that I would see people that way he sees them.
~Storie
Storie, I don’t know what the deal is with themes, but your first one was my second one and now your second one was my first one…???
Love, thank you for sharing.
Heidi,
Jr high love….oh my, I remember that!
love,
Storie
Michelle,
I am so thankful that you had grandparents that loved you with a love that you could count on….secure.
God’s plan for sure….
you are so precious!
Michelle~
Phat? Was that really his name?
Pearl…..
so sweet, my friend. How well we know eachother, and yet through your blog comment I am finding out things I didn’t know about you.
YOU are a treasure, my friend. and I am more confident of my God after spending time with you.
I see HIM in you EVERYDAY!
love to you,
Storie
Michelle,
Are you referring to the design on my page?
Yes ma’m, that comment was a bit cryptic, huh? The page designs you’ve chosen, both times, were the ones I first chose as well.
Phat is what I call my husband…kinda mean…but he loves to tease so he gets it back fullfold. His screen name for his blog and when he comments is “Comic Phat.” It’s the ghetto way of saying, “he’s all that!”…or so he says.
So yes, Phat, my college boyfriend and now husband, was the one who first loved me, freckles and all! I could NOT refuse his proposal…he swept me off my feet.
Michelle,
ahhhhh…that is SO SWEET!
How long have you been married?
That is so funny about the backgrounds we chose.
and I am picky! It was no quick selection for me!!
It took me a long time as well (choosing a theme). Picky is my middle name.
We will be celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary on the 13th of this month…11 more days!!
Michelle,
awesome!
25 years? That is so wonderful…..
any special plans?
I like the new theme, Storie. Kind of shocked me when I came here and saw it; thought for a second that I had the wrong blog!
Nor
I know, sorry for moving the furniture around with out telling you.
NO, I’m not moving….
change, subtle change that is……is ok.
I just love the shocked look:
makes me laugh everytime!