All of You: Learning to Love God With Your Whole SelfSýnishorn

We all have strengths and preferences. We like to show those parts of ourselves to the world. We tend to avoid our weaknesses, hide the parts we don't like, and never show people what we are ashamed of.

Even with our spouses and closest friends, it can be tempting to spend mental energy managing our unfortunate tendencies and unwanted qualities.

Earlier this year, I was talking with my wife, and I spent a long part of our conversation contemplating how honest I wanted to be with her. I wasn't sure how she would react when I shared my thoughts on the subject we were discussing. Though we've been married for sixteen years, those fears still show up inside me.

However, the good news is that Jesus doesn't react like we're afraid everyone else will react. Jesus knows us better than anyone else and loves us more than everyone else. In Luke 12, Jesus taught his disciples that they are worth far more than sparrows. He told them that God numbered the hairs on their head. We are that precious to Him!

So, if God knows and loves all of us, is it any wonder He wants a relationship with us? When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He essentially said, "Love God with all of you, and love your neighbor as yourself." When Jesus mentioned loving God with your heart, soul, mind, and strength, it was obvious that Jesus wanted a holistic relationship with His creation. Contrary to our fears, Jesus doesn't want us to hold anything back.

Jesus wants us to love God with our hearts, which include our will, drive, and desires. He wants us to love God with our souls, which include our emotions and feelings. Jesus invites us to love God with our minds, including our intellect, attitude, and temperament. Finally, we're invited to love God with our strength, including our abilities, powers, and the force of our bodies.

As we begin this plan today, I encourage you to wrestle with whether you are loving God with part or all of you. Perhaps you grew up being encouraged to embrace part of who you are while rejecting another part of who God made you to be.

I grew up in an environment that helped me love God with my mind, but I didn't feel I got as much help with my soul. Reading Scripture, praying, and serving were areas where I felt equipped, but navigating my emotions and tending to my soul were tasks I thought I needed more resources to complete.

When I think about loving God with all of me, I get uneasy because I feel weak and uncomfortable. Even when we stay focused on what makes us feel strong and comfortable, Jesus' invitation opens a door in a different direction.

Here's an important truth that you may need to know. The level to which you allow God to make you uncomfortable is the level to which you allow God to bring growth in your life. Loving God and loving people may seem simple, but it is not easy. Following Jesus requires all of you and transforms all of you.

In the next four days of this plan, we'll explore what it means to love God with our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. I look forward to helping you love God with all of you, and we'll begin with an area where I share my weaknesses and failures.