Devotion: Definition: love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a
person, cause or activity
Synonym: loyalty,
dedication, attachment, adherence, piety
A devotion to someone or something can
be a healthy thing in our lives, or it can be a destructible one. A healthy devotion can cause us to move, to
change, to grow in a positive way~
leading the way for happiness, contentment, a sense of reason. The opposite can cause harm, pain, sadness, ~
leading the way for collapse, ill health and poor mental health.
What would make devotion to something
or to someone healthy? Looking into my
own life, my devotion to my work causes me to feel fulfilled. It is
the reason that I get up when I don’t feel like it on weekdays, as I know that
once I get there and am with the people that I care for and those who care for
me, I will have a good day. Sharing a smile with a client will cause that
client to feel love and will react with love.
My devotion to J, (I often refer to him as “my J”), brought me to this Metropolitan City that I
live in, it had me driving from 00:30am to 02:45am every weekend to get to him
before the move. It drives me now to
provide him the support that he needs to be successful in a new job. It is the driving force behind me being
faithful. My devotion to my faith is
what I am struggling with right now. Again.
I will get it back and it will become a part of me once again.
I have seen what I would call
misplaced devotion- devotion to alcoholism, illicit drug use, food, work- and
what it caused in the lives of those who experienced it. My own misplaced devotion to food caused me to
eat mindlessly, to fill the void that is there, in the pit of my stomach. This
caused me to gain weight, which lead me to feeling bad about myself, which then
took me on a downward spiral of depression.
It was only when I was able to put that misplaced devotion to food- what
it tastes like, how it made me feel- to
a devotion of eating more fresh, organic, less carbs, more pure foods that I am to overcome the urge for fresh, hot
French fries with a piece of hot, fresh baked squash! I feel better, am losing
some of the weight and am learning to love my outside me as much as my inside
me.
What can we do take to be devoted or
to add devotion to our lives?
Find something or someone to believe
in. Find your higher power and
talk. Pray. Spend time doing something for a special
person in your life ~ creating a wonderful dining experience for a spouse out
of their favorite foods, just to say that you love them , to me would be an act
of devotion. (Especially if you cook
your least favorite foods that they absolutely love!) Be that loyal friend: hold their hand, give them that supportive hug
that is needed.
“Loyalty
and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice.
The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love.”
Morihei Ueshiba
Morihei Ueshiba
“True
strength lies in submission which permits one to dedicate his life, through
devotion, to something beyond himself. “
Henry Miller
Henry Miller
Devotion is definitely one of those things that can be wonderful or very bad, depending on how it is expressed and to what it extent it goes. I agree with you that to do special things for someone you love is beautiful and meaningful, it says I care about you! But to deny everything we are in order to be what someone else wants us to be, or to become a devoted servant/follower of someone who is evil... that's obviously not good at all. Self-sacrifice is admirable IF it leads to a higher good, and not just to subjugation to another. I am devoted to my husband beyong measure, he is my heart, my soul, and my life, but I am not again ever willing to abandon who I am and what I am about for him or any other. I think to do so is to surrender the gifts you were meant to share with the world that are uniquely yours. Very thought provoking post... a good one!
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