I like that, but it begs some questions:

• How much do I know God?

• Am I content to just know a little? Or to just focus on the things I like about Him?

I’ve experienced a learning curve in understanding, trusting and worshiping Him for all His attributes and work, even when it’s not as instinctively encouraging. For instance, read Psalm 76. Like me, you may find yourself wrestling with how to praise God for His wrath.

We live in a time when many partially true and some untrue things are said about God. While we will never know Him exhaustively, we can truly know Him. He revealed Himself in His Word. That’s where we go to learn what to believe and how it applies daily.

As Scripture corrects and trains me, I see areas of sin and of growth. It’s hard for me to love God with my whole heart if I keep too busy to be aware of the lesser things that draw my attention, affection and devotion. I won’t repent and come back to my first love if I don’t even realize my focus has shifted (Revelation 2:3–5).

I’m not advocating for navel-gazing or fixating on ourselves. I’m asking for the Spirit of God to show us who He is and how He wants to make us more whole in Christ.

Whole can mean entire or complete, but it can also mean reliable, healthy or sound. What we aim toward in life and how we move toward it says a lot about what we believe. Aspire to be whole followers of Jesus. Encourage His work in each other and pursue community that helps you have a wholistic understanding of and love for God.

“As Christians, we embrace all of what Scripture teaches about God, so we come to understand that God is both just and loving, both kind and severe, both holy and merciful. This developed, comprehensive picture of God’s character is one aspect of sound doctrine” Bobby Jamieson, The Whole Truth About God: Biblical Theology

When I read the command to love the Lord with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength, I realize that I need to figure out how to love and worship Him fully, even when I feel numb or unable to identify emotions. God cares about my wholeness and sanctification (the process He uses to make me more holy, like Jesus). He cares about yours too. That’s part of why He commissioned the whole body of Christ to, in love, help bring unity in the faith and knowledge of Jesus. He wants us all to grow up to maturity and wholeness in Him under His leadership (Ephesians 4:11–16).

One of my prayers for us is what the Apostle Paul prayed in 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.”

Andrea Tyson is Women's Ministries Director at New Hope Church. She loves to invest in women who are investing in others as we continue to develop a culture of walking toward Jesus and taking others with us.