And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭37‬

It’s tough to love something completely when you can’t even concentrate on it fully.

I have certainly had a lot of trouble simply focusing on the right things.

Carving time to devote to reading, prayer, meditation, reflection, journaling, etc. was the easy part.

Actually, using that time to its fullest potential becomes difficult as the worries of the day ahead, the longings leftover from yesterday and the general busyness of life creep into every unguarded corner of my mind.

Full and complete love depends on focus, though. Attentiveness to what I profess matters most.

The curious thing is, we actually need help from God to be able to focus on God. Or I do at least.

In prayer, I redirect my attention in the quiet of the morning and through the bustle of the day. In study, I read and saturate my mind in the truth. In reflection, I write my responses to all of this.

And in my living, I’m hopeful that I am more in tune with His will for me throughout my days.

These habits are foreign when we sober up. They feel archaic and trite. We seem to be regressing into the silly people we have often made fun of.

But here’s the catch—it works if we give it an honest shot. It’s tough to argue, especially with ourselves, when the unexpected happens.

God, mark me in unexpected ways.