Deuteronomy 6:5
Love GOD, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
My husband and I did not think we could ever love another cat as much as we loved our first two “babies.” We loved them like children for 15 and 19 years respectively… and we grieved their passing deeply. It still makes me teary-eyed to think about our furry companions. Then we got Mabel and Lucy… and 12 years later, we can’t imagine life without them. Even when they are getting into trouble, we love them with all that is in us.
We love all of our nieces, nephews, cousins and little friends madly. And because we have spent so much time with Timothy, he is like our own child… and we love him with all we have - with our whole heart. When you love someone like this, you take on their joys, fears, hurts, heartaches, frustrations… whatever they experience, you feel deeply and internalize. This kind of love is incredibly personal and profound.
The question is… “Do we feel this same connection with God?” We’re supposed to! We are supposed to love God with our whole heart… to feel such a profound, personal connection to Him that we love what He loves... and who He loves. We are supposed to grieve over things that break His heart… and take great pride and joy in things that please and glorify Him. But I’m not sure that we always experience God in this way. I’m not sure that we fully commit our heart to Him in such a deep, intense manner, or that we spend a significant portion of each day thinking about Him.
How is it that the love we so easily give to a child or a pet… a significant other… or even a hobby or a career… we cannot muster for the God of the Universe? Isn’t it time we did some soul searching? Isn’t it time to love God with all we’ve got? Do you have a deep, abiding “love connection” with God? Shouldn’t you?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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