Today, I was listening to a sermon on biblical courtship by Paul Washer titled The Parent’s Responsibility in the Home. Please don’t tease me, y’all. I prayerfully want a family in the future, and as a follower of Christ, I think it’s important for me to deepen my understanding of these things.
There was one statement he made that really struck me:
“I don’t want to take anything away from all these things of just defining exactly what is the will of God, and how do we do this, and how do we do that, and how should we practice courtship, and what should marriage be like, and how should you discipline children, and all of that is very, very good. But if you get all that kind of stuff without the big thing, you’ve missed the whole picture and you’ve just become a bunch of sad Pharisees. You don’t want that. The goal is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.”
I could really relate to that. There was a season in my life when I was overcomplicating and obsessing over God’s will for my life. I was constantly asking myself whether what I was doing, and even how I was doing it, was what He wanted me to do.
But over time, I learned something important: when I become too fixated on figuring out God’s will and getting every little detail right, it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Seeking His will and living in obedience matter, but I believe they should flow from loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength (Matt. 22:37), not out of fear of missing “the one perfect path.”
That realization has even changed how I approach my day-to-day life. I have come to understand that my biggest priority, every day of my life, is to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33), fixing my eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:2). I trust that as I seek Him, I will know Him more. And the more I know Him, the more I love Him.
And again, this is the part I want to keep coming back to: the goal is to love God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Everything else will follow.
That’s it.