With all your heart - Aug 21
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Mt 24:37
I feel like in my faith tradition, as I’m sure in many, when the “greatest commandment” was read we quickly moved to the second, like it “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This command more naturally lends itself to taking action and doing things. Loving my neighbor looks like me being busy rebuilding houses, making quilts, cooking meals, and volunteering at shelters. The idea that you love God by loving your neighbor isn’t wrong, but neither is it a complete picture.
What does it look like to love God?
When you love someone, you give yourself – your heart – over to them. You give them your time and attention. You give them a place in your heart. You give them your promise to persevere in the relationship even when it’s hard.
To love God with all one’s heart, soul, and mind involves reducing the barriers to intimacy that we’ve created between ourselves and God.
Love, at its purest form, is not a list of ethical expectations, but to love God is to listen for God, and then to obey. It is to make God’s will and our will one.
Love of God isn’t a list of activities but love of God inspires and brings meaning to all our activities.
“I turn my little omelet in the pan for the love of God.” Brother Lawrence