Come Back to Your First Love
“So I am going to take her into the desert again; there I will win her back with words of love.”—Hosea 2:14 GNTD
February 24th, 2025
📍Salida, Colorado, USA 🇺🇸
Greetings from the wilderness!
Can I tell you again how good it feels to be wandering around this mountain “desert” again? I'm back to my daily prayer walks with God, listening to one of the soaking playlists. I'm back to my evening Physio Divina routine and eating healthy home-cooked meals. I'm back to my connection with Mother Earth and my heritage.
It feels good to be slow-traveling again, staying in one place long enough to develop a location-specific routine. Every climate and location I visit is different, so it takes me some time to learn a place enough to get into a groove.
My backyard view.
I was asked recently how I choose the places I stay in (ie- the expat commune in San Miguel) Like when I was dating, I have a list of “Must-Haves,” “Nice-to-Haves,” and “Red Flags.” And on the “Must-Haves” list is walkable access to nature. In addition to an oven, private bath, fast WiFi, outdoor space I can work from, and access to a market, I have to be able to walk into an open space of some kind for my afternoon dates with God (literally scheduled on my calendar that way).
Last week, while on one of these dates, a prayer walk to the waterfall, I spent a lot of time in gratitude for all the places where YHWH is continuing to provide for me and bless me with the desires of my heart.
I truly believe that in the great depth of Jesus’ love for us, He delights in pleasing our hearts. He wants to give us everything we need and then some (He likes His glory to shine brightly so we can’t miss it). If you’ve ever attended one of our vision board events, you know that I love to dream big God-sized dreams—I can’t help it, I was made to shoot for the stars, knowing I will never reach them without God.
One of those dreams is to live in places of beauty, surrounded by an abundance of nature, not concrete and people. And this is exactly where I found myself feeling so grateful last week. Over the last 8 months, God has shown up in big ways to provide above and beyond for this desire of my heart:
Using the generosity of a friend to provide housing with free access to the Denver Botanic Gardens.
Leading me to the eco-commune in the desert of Mexico where I made new friends.
Enchanting me with the aurora borealis on a lava flow in Iceland.
Meeting me in the forest of my family’s land, deeply rooted at 9200ft of elevation.
Every date in every location, He speaks Love to my heart, knowing I need this time in nature. My body needs the exercise, my mind needs the stress relief, and my thirsty soul needs to drink from the beauty of His creation. Whether that’s a botanical garden, the open desert, lava plains, or the pine forest, having these daily dates with God in the wilderness is essential to my mind-body-spirit connection.
While I’m not in a hurry to leave the mountains, I am really looking forward to defrosting in April in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I have just secured my lodging, and thanks to my parents’ friend renting me their condo on the beach, my daily walks with God will be looking for sea shells.
My friends, we serve a good God, an abundant and Loving Father who wants to provide for us. Don’t let your scarcity mindset or idol of self-reliance stand in the way of dreaming big and surrendering your heart's longings to its Lover.
Come back to your First Love and let Him care for your heart.
Trust in His process.
Trust in His timing.
Trust in His heart for you.
He is faithful and true.
With Love,
Jennifer
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