I CHOOSE DEVOTION – 4/16/2020
What does it mean to be DEVOTED? I asked this question to quite a few people, and I got some wonderful responses.
Devotion is giving UNDIVIDED attention. It is a PASSION.
Devotion is being completely SOLD OUT on something. You’d give ANYTHING for the person or cause.
Devotion is being FAITHFUL and DEDICATED to a person or cause, putting TIME and ENERGY into it.
Devotion is to COMMIT to something healthy or important.
Devotion is being FOCUSED on something you love or something you want to accomplish.
Devotion is PRIORITIZED DEDICATION.
Devotion is to LOVE.
WOW! When I first started this post, I was going to put in the dictionary definition of the word, but nothing could surpass the answers above. What an incredible display of how vast our human minds are and how different we are from each other, while at the same time, being one in the same. Each of these responses is different, but they all mean the same word. From what I can see, we all agree that DEVOTION is not to be taken lightly.
Recently, my heart has been stirred to spend more time in DEVOTED prayer. It is a practice I have wanted to pick up and never had the discipline to do so until this past week. And WOW! When you are devoted to God, you change.
But in the midst of all of this, the word DEVOTION has stayed on the forefront of my mind. We are called to be DEVOTED. But not only to God. We are called to be devoted to others. And we are called to be devoted to ourselves.
YES! I know that sounds crazy, but we are. If we are to love others as we love ourselves, then that shows that we must first love ourselves BEFORE we can love others fully. God blesses those who are devoted to HIM! And since HE lives IN US, we must be devoted to ourselves as well. That may look like taking care of our physical body or our mind, strengthening our spiritual lives, or even by creating a healthy outward environment. But the core is always the same: DEVOTION.
I challenge you to read the definitions above twice. Once in the light of your faith, challenging yourself to see where your level of devotion lies with God. But then read it again in light of your devotion to yourself. God always comes first! But, is it possible that maybe you aren’t allowing yourself to be devoted to your own growth?