G: Deuteronomy 6:4-5

“'Hear, O Israel: The LORD 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.'” Deuteronomy 6:4-5 ESV

 These verses (and this chapter, really) speak volumes to me. Deut. 6:4 has always been one of my favorite verses, ever since I heard it a few years ago. I never knew what it meant, but it has always touched my heart, striking something so deep in my core that my soul can't help but worship. Thanks to a footnote in my Bible, I now know what it means. Basically, it's reemphasizing that there is only one God. The footnote's alternate translation reads "The LORD is our God, the LORD alone."

I've always had a huge problem with priorities. In school, chores, and scheduling I always seem to pick the smallest, least important, and most trivial thing to spend my energy on. Well, "waste" is a better word. I waste it on Facebook. Neopets. Pinterest. Worry. Anxiety. Stress. Fear. I let not one but all of these become my priority on a day-to-day basis. And while (except for the last four) these things aren't bad in and of themselves, they've become bad. How?

By spending all of my time on those things, I am saying with my actions that God is not the only Lord of my life. Now, I'm not intentionally putting those things as idols. Like a lot of sins, it "just seems to happen." But when I'm on Facebook or texting instead of doing my quiet time, I am telling God through my actions that He's not as important as my technology.

And because I've let my list of seven take the place of God's hand in my day-to-day doings, life has become a LOT more stressful and a lot less certain. I start to panic about things that I never panic about when I trust God to take care of it! Instead I've told God that I can run my life all by myself.

And the truth is, I can't. I'm not strong enough. I'm weak, and I don't have the capacity to handle everything myself without burning myself out like an overused lightbulb.

And so it is with a crying and repentant heart that I pray with the deepest part of my soul the one, worshipful sentence that has captured my heart:

"The LORD our God, the LORD is one."

And so I'm starting anew in this great romance with the Bridegroom, with my precious love Jesus. It is with a renewed spark and a refilled heart that I pick up the pen, put down the phone, and write over and over, "The LORD our God, the LORD is one."

My heartbeat. My battlecry. My love. My all.

"The LORD our God, the LORD is one."

He is my one. My eternal. My all.

Life feels so right when He's first in my life. Not my boyfriend. Not my friends. Not my stupid fears of uncertainty. Not technology, and certainly not school.

But Christ alone.

In Christ and Love,
Gabrielle