And behold, a lawyer stood up to put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
Luke 10:25-27
We frequently discuss the two great commandments—to love God and to love/serve our neighbor. This is a very short summary, easy to remember. However, the commandment to love God is not just two simple words, love God. Both times that Jesus used this commandment, in Matthew 22 and in Luke 10, He said that we are to love God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our strength and with all of our mind. In other words, we are to love Him completely, with all that we are. When we think about that, we realize that loving God completely is actually pretty challenging. It is a lot more than worship on Sundays, or wearing a cross around our necks. In today’s reflection, we will talk about what it means to love God completely, with some rhetorical questions for us to think about, as it relates to loving God with our whole heart, whole soul, whole strength and whole mind.
To love God with our whole heart—Our heart is where we feel our emotions and passions. This is where we feel our deepest core identity. The heart in ancient Jewish culture was the true center of being. Each of us has things that we love, that we are deeply passionate about, things that bring us joy. Think about the things that bring you joy. How does God fit into what you love?
To love God with our whole soul—Our soul is where we store what we value and what our spirit craves. Focusing on the soul is what brings inner peace. When we are overwhelmed and stressed there are things that we go to in order to find inner peace, to quiet our stress. What helps you feel connected to God? Where does God fit in the times we feel overwhelmed?
To love God with all of our strength—Strength is our action. This is the physical manifestation of what we do with our energy and our body. When we are having a hard day, there are things we do to find the physical or emotional “strength” needed to keep going. When we are struggling, do we take strength from God in order to keep going? And is there one specific thing you do that bring you closer to Him?
To love God with our whole mind—Our mind is where our intelligence resides. Our mind affects how we think. There are certain thought patterns each of us has throughout the day. We may think of our work, our families, plans for the weekend, friends, future. There are lots of things we think of. However, there are thoughts each of us comes back to frequently, a hierarchy of thoughts so to speak. There are thoughts we come back to more than other thoughts. What do you think about most during the day? How often do you think about God? Where is He on the hierarchy of thoughts? What distracts your mind from Him? With so many opportunities and distractions, is it hard to keep God high on our intellectual hierarchy?
When we discussed this topic at camp, we presented our campers a variety of scenes from life. There were natural scenes, like a sunset, a sunrise, a waterfall, a beach, a mountain. There were secular scenes, like a workplace, school, an ice cream cone, a restaurant. And there were spiritual scenes, like a Bible, a church, someone praying. We asked them to place themselves at the place representing what they think about most. Then we asked them to place themselves at the place representing where they relax the most. And finally we asked them to place themselves at the place where they think about God the most.
Obviously, when it came to the question of where they think about God the most, it was not surprising that they think about Him in church or while praying. That is obvious and easy. However, the hope is that we think about God while at work or with our families. We hopefully see God and spirituality as a place we go to for relaxation. And hopefully God comes into our thoughts in all the places where life takes us.
Just as there are natural settings that are attractive to each of us in a different way, there are ways that seem more natural for us when expressing our feelings for God. Is it easier, or more natural, for you to love God with your heart, your soul, your strength or your mind? Each of us will answer this question differently. And on the flip side, which feels the hardest to give to God right now—your heart, your soul, your strength, or your mind?
It is interesting that Christ simplified the entire 613 commandments of the Old Testament Mosaic Law into just two. However, when we think about the first of these commandments, to love God, we realize how challenging it is to love God with our whole being—heart, soul, strength and mind.
I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in Whom I take refuge, my shield, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:1-3
If we take to heart the words of Psalm 18:1-3, if we see God as all of these things we pray for in the Psalm, we will be on the path to loving Him with our whole heart, soul, strength and mind. To love God is easy. To love Him completely, with our whole being, that is where the challenge lies.
