Many people are familiar with "The Ten Commandments" (they can be found twice in the Bible: once here, and again here), but one of my favorite texts in all of the Bible is the beautiful passage that follows one of the givings of the law. In Deuteronomy 6 the Israelites' are told what their response to God's law (and love) was supposed to be. As I continue to search for God's call for my life, I am continually moved by this passage; however, I have recently found myself grappling with this portion of it.

Deut. 6:5-9
5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

The implication here is clear: God's commandments (law, love, etc.) are to be on the forefront of our minds all the time. We are to seek God with all of our might. Unfortunately, when I'm studying, teaching, and practicing psychology, it is psychological principles, not truths of the gospel, that I am 'tying as symbols on my hands'. Don't get me wrong, I'm not unhappy where I am now. I continue to enjoy studying psychology, but I always assumed that it would be easy for me to integrate psychology with serving God. As a psychologist, I thought that I could 'help people.' I assumed that I could teach psychology either at a Christian university (and help Christian students grow in their faith), or at a secular university (and be a light to the darkness).

As of late, I'm not so sure. In my practicum classes I am told that psychologists are only effective if they minimize who they are and maximize the focus on the clients. Sharing my faith would be considered both a procedural and ethical blunder that would hamper my effectiveness as a therapist. (Some of you may choose to argue this point, but I think it's fairly accurate). As an instructor, I am able to show Christ's love to my students, but there are few opportunities for me to share my faith, to share WHY I am so 'nice'.

In all, I have recently found myself wondering whether I could love God with all my heart, soul, and strength as a university professor of psychology and a practicing psychologist. At this point, I'm not convinced that I could. Referring to God and money, the Bible suggests that a person cannot serve two masters, and I'm confident that this applies to all areas of life. The trouble, I'm learning, is that, if I want to excel as a psychologist, I must allow psychology to consume most of my resources, to be my master. And I don't think this is a good idea.