I have been considering the depths
of the ancient prayer known as the Sh’ma
for several years now. There is a great deal to consider, just in the first two
lines.
Sh’ma
Yis’ra’eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.
V’ahav’ta
eit Adonai Elohekha
b’khol
l’vav’kha
uv’khol
naf’sh’kha
uv’khol
m’odekha.*
Hear,
O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!
You
shall love the LORD your God
with
all your heart
and
with all your soul
and
with all your might.
In Luke 10: 27, answering the
question of the lawyer, Jesus added “with all your mind.”
"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.” (NASB)
I’ve been considering what it means to love God with all
those elements of my whole self. We Westerners are very good at the mind part.
So were the Jews. They and we love to debate and study and exegete. Lots of
Christians enjoy the same today. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But it
may not be particularly devotional.
This morning, by the river, I stood in the current (in my
high boots, you understand!) and considered the mind and how it’s like the
river. And I decided to do a series. It might ask more questions than it
answers, but that’s okay. My hope is that it will raise emotions, too, not just
brainwaves. (Well, not just beta waves, anyway. I suppose all our emotional
states show up in our brainwaves.)
This week is the introduction. Here are the preliminary
questions to consider:
How do you, personally, practice the deep love of the One
God:
--with
all your heart?
--with
all your soul/spirit?
--with
all your mind?
--with
all your strength?
Each of the next four weeks, I’ll be pondering by the side
of my borrowed river, and I’ll share my thoughts and questions with you. I hope
you’ll share yours with me, too.
Beautiful picture - thank you!
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