With All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength: A Litmus Test

Today the Gospel reminds us of the central command of our faith: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  Here’s a quick litmus test for determining whether you are loving the Lord in these ways:

1. Is the Lord at the center of your heart or is someone or something else? Are there other attachments to people or things getting in the way of a closer relationship with God? Who would you die for: the Lord or a person you love?
2. Does your soul feel rightly ordered to the ways of God? Does it feel mostly cleansed and pure, or does it feel mostly unclean and disordered in some way from the stains of sin that you haven’t confessed and repented?
3. Is the Lord at the center of your mind or do you frequently dwell on other thoughts? What is on your mind more than half the time – the Lord or something else? Worries, anxieties, obsessions, distractions, etc.
4. Do you give as much strength as you can to your relationship with God? Do you pray and act in faith even when you are tired, stressed, and weary? Do you push through temptations to laziness to keep your relationship with God strong?

Today, take a good hard look at your relationship with the Lord. Do you truly love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength?