Loving God With All Your Heart, Soul & Mind

February 28, 2018

Let me start off with a little disclaimer. I am extremely, incredibly, and beyond blessed and thankful to have grown up in a Christian family, with parents who lived to make sure I knew about Jesus. So, mom, dad, thank you so much for that. I will forever be grateful, because like I said before, I honestly don’t know where I would be if I hadn’t grown up in the church. To have learned of Jesus’s love at such a young age is such a beautiful blessing.

With that being said, pastor’s kids and all you others who have grown up in the church, let me just tell you first and foremost, you’re not done. Done with what you ask?

Growing.

Well, obviously you know that. But let me just take this back a step for a second. If you’re like me, you grew up in a family and went to a church and/or Bible camp that basically told you what to believe. Again, nothing wrong with this. But here’s the issue: you never really knew why you believe what you believe. You are told all your life what is right and what is wrong. You are told what is true and what is false.

Let me ask you this, why do you believe that? “Well, because the Bible says so,” or “because my pastor/parents say so.” Okay, sure, that answer might work for a while. But what happens when you start to question your beliefs and really why they are what you believe? What happens when a non-believer questions you and you have no response?

This, my friends, is called testing your faith, or, “critical distance.”

You see, growing up in a Christian home, you become quite naive, or, ignorant if you will, to your own beliefs. It’s almost like Christianity and your faith is like a routine or something that you have adapted through habit. Everything you hear in church or from your parents you just take in and believe as truth. This is a good place to begin, but never a good place to remain.

We tend to be afraid of allowing ourselves to doubt, but how can you grow in your relationship without doubting? Without questioning? Without testing your beliefs?

Let me tell you, this concept scared the crap out of me when it first started happening. My life now is filled with professors, friends, and peers that are constantly testing my faith and making me wonder why I believe what I believe. At first, I was like, “Is this Christian university trying to make me like an atheist or something?” But then I realized, man, my relationship with God growing up never really grew. Because I was never seeking answers to my questions or doubting what I was taught, I didn’t have a basis or reasoning behind any of what I believed. “Hey, Emily, why do you believe that?” “I don’t know, that’s what I was taught.” That argument isn’t going to get you very far when you’re ‘letting your light shine’ and telling people about Jesus.

This is where loving God with your mind comes in.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.” Matthew 22:37

Faith seeks understanding. You may be afraid to question your beliefs and why you believe them, but being honest with God is what strengthens your relationship. Digging deep to actually understanding, and formulating your own beliefs and not what your family tells you is how you can really grow in your relationship with Jesus. Discovering truth is part of our personal journey with the Lord.

There may be truth beyond your beliefs, beyond your current understandings, and you can only find it once you begin to explore the areas you are too afraid to explore. Ask the questions you are too afraid to ask. Figure out why you believe “this” is wrong, or why you believe it’s right. Stop conforming to the general beliefs of “the church.” Never stop asking questions, because when you’re not asking questions, you can’t grow. I encourage you today to move and grow in your relationship with God. Seek to understand. Love God with all your mind, as He has commanded us to do.

                                                              Much love, Em