Mario Kart

“Do you love me?” she asked.

“Huh?” I replied…as I steered my digital go-kart around large green pipes protruding up oddly in the center of the race track, while gophers attempted to pop up and stick to the front of my vehicle causing Mario…and I, the controller, to lose our collective minds in frustration.

“Do you love me?” she begged…unsatisfied with my previous response.

“Sure I do!” I mumbled, as I turned my entire torso trying to encourage Mario to pass Bowser.

“How do I know?” she implored.

“Because I give you…SWEET Star Power Mystery Box!”

“What?...You have never given me a mystery box…unless of course you count the cooler you took hunting and didn’t clean out until I found it black and moldy 2 ½ months later.”

“Yes!...I won!”

“Are you even listening?”

“Sure…you asked if I loved you…and I said yes…and then you asked how do I know…and then I said…because I give you stuff.”

“How else do I know?”

“I don’t know…I take out the garbage and stuff.”

She sat in silence for a moment.

I studied her and probed, “Why are you asking?”

“I don’t know…It seems that perhaps others things seem more important to you…than me…or…us.”

“How can you say that?” I challenged as I sneakily slid the Super Nintendo controller out of sight, behind my back.

I am happy to say that Sarah and I have been married for more than 20 years now and I no longer play Super Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo…apparently the old technology is not very compatible with new televisions.  Despite my love for Mario Kart…I can honestly say…I love my wife much more than the race tracks. In fact, I remember the day that we were married. It was an incredible day and I love every part of that day!  What is even more astounding is that I can honestly say that I love her more today than I did that day.  Yet, if I am to be totally honest…there were times in our marriage where that may not have been a true statement.  Life is hard…marriage is hard…there were probably times when she didn’t like me…let alone love me.  Despite the hardships, we endured. I remembered the wife of my youth as mentioned in Proverbs 5:18. I remember the love we had at first, yet I am even more so now, thrilled with my marriage.  In a parallel…I want the same to be true for my relationship and love for Jesus.  In Rev. 2:1-7, we find an account where Jesus speaks to the church in Ephesus.  This church has done so much good…they have taken out the proverbial “garbage,” but they have forgotten their first love.

I don’t ever want to forget my first love in Jesus.  I don’t want anyone to forget their first love in Jesus! May we endure together the sufferings of Christ…and love him first…because he first loved us.