The Delicate Balance

8.  If you distract your intellect from its love for God and concentrate it, not on God, but on some sensible object, you thereby show that you value the body more than the soul and the things made by God more than God Himself.

St. Maximus the Confessor Four Hundred Centuries on Love: #8

Modern life, with its myriad of distractions, poses a unique challenge to the spiritually inclined. Every day, we are presented with countless 'sensible objects'—material things that appeal to our senses and demand our attention.

St. Maximus the Confessor reminds us of the delicate balance we must strike. While it's natural to appreciate the beauty and comfort of the material world, it becomes problematic when these objects divert our focus from the Divine.

Our love for God should be the cornerstone of our existence. When we let worldly attractions diminish this love, we are signaling a deeper misalignment in our values. The material world, as captivating as it may be, is transient. God's love and the soul's journey, on the other hand, are eternal.

From the time we are children we struggle with the physical world. We are yearning for the next toy, bike, iPad, or Iphone. We are drawn to the shiny new objects that surround our lives. Even as adults we often struggle to build up a wealth of material items that will either be sold when we die or given to an heir in hopes they honor it. In our world, items equal status, so we fall into the trap of worshipping the rat race of collection and we oftentimes lose sight of the delicate balance between enjoying the material aspects of our life and worshipping them.

Navigating this balance doesn't require renunciation but discernment. It's about recognizing the fleeting nature of worldly pleasures and ensuring that they don't overshadow our spiritual pursuits. By maintaining a firm focus on our love for God, we can enjoy the material world without becoming ensnared by it.