Deuteronomy 6 – What does it mean to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength?
Loving God takes different shapes and forms throughout the seasons of our life. Sometimes, it feels comforting—a source of strength that grounds us. Loving God can provide a sense of belonging within the community of faith, guidance for daily living, and direction for our steps.
At other times, loving God feels like holding on for dear life. When everything around us crumbles—when relationships that once felt like bedrock dissolve into arguments, threats, or tears, and when the steady rhythm of life is upended—faith can feel fragile. The unknown looms large, and we may feel utterly alone.
But we are not alone. God is with us, and on that firm foundation, we rebuild. In moments like these, loving God takes all we’ve got. It requires us to recenter our hearts on God and stabilize our breathing—inhale, exhale. The Spirit of the Lord is here. Inhale, exhale.
As our hearts settle in God’s presence and return to their natural rhythm, we can move on to examine our souls. What is the soul? For me, it exists somewhere between my fleeting emotions of the moment and the eternal reality of the Kingdom of God. Loving God with my entire soul shifts my perspective, allowing me to see beyond my circumstances and into the divine realm that intersects with them.
Then comes the resolve to love God with all my might. This kind of love requires strength—physical strength to persevere. It demands endurance to face trials, to keep breathing, and to carry on while weathering the storm.
Through all these seasons—the comforting and the trying, the passing and the still—we are invited to love God in all the ways we can. Thank God for the movement and change, for the seasons that shape us, and for the ways we respond to God’s loving presence with the gift of our own love.
