(This is a followup to Monday’s post on Mark 12:29-31)
“It’s not a very good post,” I said, getting the waffles from the freezer.
“So write it again tonight.” Nancy said.
I looked at her. Just looked at her.
“You can do that sometimes,” she said.
She was right. Who is to say that I can’t go back to the idea of “Love God with all your mind” and try again. I wrote about that idea yesterday and talked about the intricacies of a Bach concerto. But even as I wrote it, there were parts of my writing that weren’t making sense.
But isn’t part of loving someone learning? We learn more about the other person, we learn more about ourselves, we learn more about love. Loving God with all my mind isn’t something that happens instantly nor does it happen constantly.
I mean, I am always loving Nancy. It’s just that sometimes I assume that I understand what she’s thinking and then I talk with her and then I understand more.
For example, recently I asked her if Hope and I could take her out for dinner on her birthday. I thought it would be nice. She didn’t want to. She wanted to stay hope and fix dinner herself. Grilled pork chops and scalloped potatoes. Comfort food. Comfort actions.
It gave me more of a glimpse of the person I’ve been married with for 27 years. I learned. I am more capable of loving her more accurately today than yesterday.
When we set about loving God with all our mind, we listen. We try. We ask. We think. We explore. We write confusing posts on our way to clarity. As is true when we are trying to understand anyone, we make assumptions which prove erroneous. Or which are a step in the right direction.
Loving is learning. Even with God.
300 words a day 
Frank Reed
The simplicity running right along side the complexity of following God. Exhilarating and maddening at the same time.
I want to know it all know but the truth is I wouldn’t get even if I did “know it all”. God is so good because he lets me learn and fumble and stumble. He let’s me be what he made me to be, His child.
Have a great weekend, Jon and enjoy learning more about the ones you love. Peace.
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Jon Swanson
Thanks Frank. One’s home from college. One’s in town briefly. One sister and family are in town. Tremendous opportunity for learning. If I pay attention.
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Frank Reed
Should have read, “I want to know it all now…..” it’s early.
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Jill Burton
Seriously, with the whole Old Testament available to you, you don’t see that going at it again and again is an option for learning about loving God? 🙂
The beauty is, He knows us…more deeply than we will ever know Him (thankfully!) and knows that we won’t hit the mark the first time…or the second or third. It’s how He created us! Which is confusing, of course…if we as humans were going to create something to love us, to know us, we’d probably selfishly create something that would be guaranteed to love us and know us. Some people have children for that purpose, not understanding that children are not our creations, they are God’s creations.
Over and over again in the recorded history of God we watch “us” fail in learning to love God more deeply I think because the love becomes more about us, than about Him…which isn’t really love at all. So we try again and again and again…update covenant…update covenant…update covenant…New Covenant…etc.
I think learning to love God more deeply…with all of our being…with all of our mind isn’t about reaching that definitive point where we actually say “we do it”…but as you have written, it’s about beginning the relationship and then continuing to grow and learn and discover and then do it all again…better
see you later 🙂
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