Enjoying resort living.
We are set to go. The hot tub is running. Ann and I tried it out this morning after our exercise. It was good. I feel like I’m living in a resort (well sort of). I intended to take a picture a but forgot . Next time for sure.
This is Derby week-end. We are going to Louisville for a party tomorrow.
“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:28-31
I have been thinking about this passage for some time. I have concluded that I have mostly failed to keep the most important command. Of course, everyone is imperfect and fails to keep the command flawlessly. That is not what I am talking about. There is another dimension of failure that has characterized my efforts to love God; it is a failure to love God completely. Completely meaning not perfection but wholly … heart, soul, mind and strength. It has been my consistent desire to love God. For many reasons, my efforts to satisfy that desire have concentrated on loving God with “all my mind”. I’m not sure what the “correct” understanding of “all my mind” is, but, for me it has meant diligently applying study, reason, logic, knowledge, correct understanding, et al to show God how much I really love Him. My love for God has not devoid of my heart, soul and strength, but has my default mode has been my mind. The impact of such an unbalanced love on my relationship with God is serious.
A simple analogy of an “all my mind” love for Ann illustrates the problem. I’m pretty sure that Ann would not feel very loved if my time and efforts to my love her were confined to study, analysis, interpretation of, and correct response to every communication and situation in our relationship. For example, she would find little consolation in the ritual of kissing her and telling her “I love you”each morning if she knew that I did it only because it is “a correct way to express my love”. She would soon reject my kiss and ignore my words if that were the case. Undertanding Ann’s expectations of my love for her, how could I be so foolish to not understand God’s expectations, especially when he speaks so clearly?
A continuing goal of my journey is to understand the full experience of loving God with all my heart and all my soul and all my strength, not just with all my mind. Of course, I need not to forget there is the second greatest command, “love your neighbor as yourself” to be obeyed.
We made it back from Texas safely. It was a good visit with Ann’s parents. They are doing well. Dad celebrated his 89th birthday on the 24th and they have their 69th wedding anniversary tomorrow. Dad continues to play golf every chance he gets and they beat Ann and I at Texas 42 like a drum.
It is good to get home although it is COLD. A warm up is coming and I hope to get some more project work done. I’ve got parts ordered to repair the hot tub. The picket fence needs to be painted. I will prepared the flower beds in the back yard. It is time to plant flowers. There are a number of other projects that will keep me busy. We are still gong to Memphis May 8 to see Scott and Alison.
This Saturday is Derby day. We plan to attend an annual derby party in Louisville. It is always a good time and great food.
Today is daughter #1’s birthday. I still remember the joy I felt when the nurse announced over the intercom that we had a girl. (Those were the days when men were real men; suffering surrogate labor pains while pacing in the waiting room, filled with anxiety of not having any control.)
Melissa is enjoying success in her new career as a real estate agent. I am not surprised. She was subjected to rigorous training as a salesperson at an early age. Her first aspirations at selling were to be an Avon agent at age 3+. She (Miss Priss, as her brothers called her.) would go out the back door of our house in Abilene and run around to the front door and ring the door bell. Her brothers, usually Scott, would open the door and when she gleefully announced “Avon calling!” they would slam the door in her face. Today, as then, she continues to be undeterred in her efforts to make the sale.
Have a great birthday. I love you.