Can you have a deeper relationship with God even when you're exhausted and overwhelmed? Quick Answer: Yes. A deeper relationship with God begins by remembering your first love—the moment you first felt Him pursue you—and doing the things you did at first. This isn't about adding more to your plate; it's about returning to the intimacy you were created for, even in the chaos of everyday life.

Have you ever felt Him calling—and turned away?

You're folding laundry. The kids are finally quiet. And in that rare pocket of stillness, something stirs in your chest. A whisper. A pull. A gentle what if.

Maybe it happened when you were young, sitting in a Sunday school classroom, staring at a picture on the wall. Maybe it came during a season of grief, when sleep escaped you and peace felt impossible. Or maybe it's happening right now, as you read these words, and you're wondering if you're the only one who's ever said not yet to God.

You're not.

What Does It Mean When God Pursues You?

God's pursuit is a romantic invitation, not a religious obligation.

Here's what nobody tells you about your relationship with God: it's a romance. Not the sanitized, church-bulletin kind. The real kind—the kind where one person pursues and the other responds. Where there's invitation and hesitation. Where "maybe later" is met with patient waiting, not guilt or shame.

He calls us His bride. Not His employee. Not His project, not another member...His bride.

This language isn't accidental. It's intentional. It reveals the nature of the relationship He desires with you—one marked by intimacy, devotion, and mutual pursuit.

The Biblical Foundation of Divine Pursuit

In Revelation 2:4-5, Jesus tells the church at Ephesus: "You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first."

This isn't condemnation. This is an invitation back to intimacy.

The word remember appears 240 times in Scripture. In the Old Testament, when people had personal encounters with God, they built altars to mark the spot—physical reminders of spiritual moments. In the New Testament, Jesus instituted communion with the words, "Do this in remembrance of Me."

Remembrance isn't nostalgia. It's activation.

Why Do We Forget Our First Love?

We forget because we're human, overwhelmed, and often trying to meet spiritual needs with temporal things.

You're not alone if you've experienced this pattern:

1. The Initial Encounter – You felt something real. A warmth. A knowing. A sense of being seen.
2. The Emotional Fade – Days or weeks later, the feeling wore off and you wondered if it was even real.
3. The Distraction – Life got busy. Kids needed you. Work demanded attention. The relationship took a back seat.
4. The Guilt – You felt like you should be doing more, being more consistent, trying harder.
5. The Distance – Months or years passed, and that initial intimacy felt like a distant memory.

This cycle happens because we're wired for connection but often seek it in the wrong places. We look for validation in relationships, achievement in work, comfort in food or substances—anything external that promises to fill the internal void.

But here's the truth: You were designed to be filled by your Creator first.

How Do You Pursue God Back? (Practical Steps for Overwhelmed People)

Pursuing God back means doing the things you did when you first fell in love with Him—adapted for your current season.

Step 1: Remember Your First Yes

Close your eyes and think back. Can you remember the moment?

• The Sunday school classroom where you first felt Him near
• The college dorm room where you finally said yes
• The hospital bed where you cried out and He answered
• The quiet morning when you opened His Word and it came alive

Action: Journal about this moment. Write down every detail you can remember—what you felt, what you heard, what changed.

Step 2: Identify What You Did At First

When you first started pursuing Him, what did that look like?

For some women, it was:

• Reading Scripture every morning before anyone else woke up
• Listening to worship music that made you cry
• Journaling prayers and watching Him answer
• Taking walks and talking to Him like a friend
• Joining a Bible study with women who understood

Action: Make a list of 3-5 things you did when your relationship felt most alive.

Step 3: Choose One Thing to Return To

You don't have to do everything at once. In fact, you shouldn't. You're in a different season now—motherhood, homeschooling, marriage, maybe running a business.

Action: Pick ONE thing from your list and commit to it for one week. Just one. See what happens.

Step 4: Replace the Lesser with the Greater

If you've been seeking validation, comfort, or identity in something external (relationships, achievement, food, social media), you need something stronger to replace it with.

You can't just remove the thing. You have to replace it with something better.

The truth: God's validation is stronger, deeper, and more satisfying than anything else you've been using to fill that need.

Action: When you feel the pull toward the "lesser thing," pause and ask: What am I really seeking right now? Can I bring this need to God instead?

What If the Feeling Never Comes Back?

Feelings are wonderful, but faithfulness is better.

Many women experience a powerful emotional encounter when they first say yes to God. Warmth spreading through their chest. A sense of lightness. Peace that defies explanation.

And then the feeling fades.

This is normal. This is actually good.

Because a relationship built only on feelings is fragile. But a relationship built on faithfulness—on showing up even when you don't feel like it, on choosing Him even when it's hard—that relationship has depth.

The goal isn't to recreate the feeling. The goal is to deepen the relationship.

When you move from emotional experience to intentional pursuit, you discover something better than butterflies: you discover bedrock. You discover that He's there in the mundane moments, the hard moments, the moments when you feel nothing at all.

And that's when intimacy becomes unshakeable.

Why Does This Matter for Your Everyday Life?

Your relationship with God isn't separate from your life—it transforms every part of it.

When you stop seeking validation in relationships, you have the emotional energy to pursue leadership opportunities, creative callings, and kingdom work you never thought possible.

When you stop trying to sustain things that were never meant to sustain you, you discover time and space for what you were actually created to do.

When you let Him be your primary source of identity, worth, and belonging, you show up differently in your marriage, your motherhood, your friendships, and your work.

This isn't about adding more to your plate. This is about clearing the plate of what was never meant to be there.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if God is pursuing me?

If you've ever felt a pull toward Him—a curiosity, a longing, a whisper in your heart—that's Him pursuing you. He initiates. Always. You're reading this right now because He led you here.

What if I've said no to God multiple times?

There is no shame in how many times you've said "not yet." God's pursuit isn't marked by guilt or pressure. He waits. He invites. And when you're ready to say yes, He's there with open arms.

Is it normal for the initial feeling to fade?

Absolutely. The emotional high of a first encounter is beautiful, but it's not meant to be the foundation. As you move into intentional pursuit—reading Scripture, praying, worshiping—you build something deeper than feelings: you build intimacy.

How can I pursue God when I'm exhausted and overwhelmed?

Start small. Pick one thing you did when you first fell in love with Him. Maybe it's five minutes of worship music in the car. Maybe it's reading one Psalm before bed. Maybe it's a walk where you talk to Him out loud. You don't have to do everything. Just do one thing faithfully.

What does "remember your first love" actually mean?

It means recalling the moment you first encountered God's love and doing the things you did in response. It's not about recreating the past—it's about applying those practices to your present season.

Can I have a deep relationship with God while homeschooling and running a business?

Yes. In fact, that's when you need it most. The women who experience the deepest intimacy with God aren't the ones with the most free time—they're the ones who prioritize the relationship in the midst of the chaos.

What if I don't remember my "first love" moment?

That's okay. Start now. Today can be your first yes. Today can be the moment you look back on and say, "That's when everything changed."

How is a relationship with God like a romance?

God calls us His bride and Himself the Bridegroom. This isn't metaphor—it's identity. A romance involves pursuit, response, intimacy, and mutual devotion. Your relationship with God is meant to have all of these elements.

What does it mean to "pursue God back"?

It means reciprocating His pursuit. He comes to you first, but at some point, you have to respond—not just once, but continually. You open His Word. You talk to Him. You make space for Him in your life. You choose Him over the lesser things.

Why do I feel guilty about my relationship with God?

Guilt often comes from believing you're not doing enough or being consistent enough. But God doesn't pursue you with guilt—He pursues you with grace. The goal isn't perfection; it's intimacy. Start where you are, not where you think you should be.

What Happens When You Remember

When you remember your first love and return to the things you did at first, something shifts.

You stop performing and start resting.
You stop striving and start receiving.
You stop seeking validation externally and start finding it in the One who created you.

And from that place of wholeness, you discover:

• New desires – Callings and purposes you couldn't see before because you were too busy sustaining things that were never meant to sustain you
• Deeper relationships – With your husband, your children, your friends—because you're no longer looking to them to fill needs only God can fill
• Spiritual clarity – The ability to discern His voice, understand His Word, and walk in wisdom
• Emotional grounding – A peace that holds you even when circumstances don't change

This is what's waiting for you on the other side of remembering.

Your Invitation: Love Affair

What if you didn't have to figure this out alone?

What if there was a place where you could explore these questions—where you could remember your first love and learn how to pursue Him in the midst of your real, messy, beautiful life?

Love Affair is three weeks of gentle, grace-rooted conversations about your relationship with God. Not the surface stuff. The deep stuff. The kind of discipleship that meets you where you are and invites you into transformation.

Because you were made for more than surviving.
You were made for intimacy with your Creator.
For wisdom that anchors you.
For peace that holds you.

And it's time to remember. Discover Love Affair

Key Takeaways

• God pursues you first – There's no shame in how many times you've said "not yet"
• The feeling fades, but the relationship deepens – Moving beyond emotions into intentional pursuit
• Remember = Action – The word appears 240 times in Scripture for a reason
• You must pursue Him back – Healthy relationships require mutual pursuit
• Your first love holds the key – Return to what you did when you first said yes