Who do you serve? Are you sure?
I hope you sang the title of this blog post to LL Cool Jay’s “Who Do You Love” because that is how I wrote it.
I was doing my daily devotional with my husband and while I do not really vibe with the devotional I use (it is culturally ignorant and white-thought centered in my opinion), I employ it as a means to look at and study scripture myself. Today’s scripture was Matthew 6:24 which reads:
“No one can serve two masters; for either [they] will hate the one and love the other, or else [they] will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
First, I looked up what mammon means as I have heard this word used many times, and people conflate mammon with the devil. Mammon by definition is :
“Wealth regarded as an evil influence or false object of worship and devotion. It was taken by medieval writers as the name of the devil of covetousness…” -Oxford languages
“Riches, often used to describe the debasing influence of material wealth” - Brittanica
Merriam-Webster essentially defines mammon as the same: “Material wealth or possessions especially as having a debasing influence.”
I got a download which coincides with something that I have said and thought before.
FOCUSED ATTENTION IS WORSHIP AND DEVOTION.
Focusing on something constantly, with deep intention, will, by default, cause you to love and worship that thing, allowing it to have control over your mind & have power over your life.
This focused attention often times is unconscious. People will claim that they worship and serve The Divine, Jesus, particular gods, etc. but based on their words and actions (which are seeded in thoughts), they are not living value aligned lives. What I observe people worshipping the most are: Money, People, Power..and truthfully, sometimes “people” is me every now and again.
There are moments when I unconsciously worship money & humans. I say that because I put so much of my attention on them. I “study” them.
This can look like:
“I need money. Why don’t I have more money? I need more money. How can I make more money?” In moments of my perceived lack, I give more energy and focus on money than I do love.
Or
“Why doesn’t this person love me or show up for me the way I want/need them to?” At times I am overly concerned about what people think about me and then I do the most to please people & make sure they are “happy” with me. This can even look like posting what I think people would like from me instead of sharing from my heart, from a place of love.
In my opinion, BOTH of these real life examples are forms of worship because am I this concerned with The Most High, my Ancestors, my Highest Self? A lot of times, the answer is honestly NO.
If you are on social media, you too can observe how people worship money, how people worship other people, how people worship themselves (you can be your own idol/god), how people worship the “power” followers and viral posts gets them. I am sure you have seen people with professions of their faith in their bio, but how they treat people online is atrocious and malicious. As much as someone tries to put up a front, it is literally impossible to serve two masters. I also think this is true because many things that humans (unintentionally) worship are based in FEAR & SCARCITY not LOVE & TRUTH.
This is why spiritual hygiene, spiritual practice and rituals are so important! They are mirrors and help you stay on the track that you desire so that you are living a value aligned life. So that your thoughts, beliefs, words and actions all affirm the same thing.
Speaking for myself, in healing, in releasing trauma, in changing the neural pathways in my brain, I have to be very intentional about what I focus on and IT IS NOT ALWAYS EASY. So I continue to make my adjustments, keeping my focus on the things and beings I do want to worship, what I do want to devote my time and energy to.
I will suggest a few things that I do and also share what I aspire to do.
1. First, I ask myself what or who do I want to worship? What or who do I want to be a representative of? For this, you can literally write it out in a journal, on a board, on a piece of paper and then say it out loud. I WORSHIP_______. I AM A REPRESENTATIVE OF______. Does that actually resonate with you? Is that desire coming from a place deep in your being or does it originate from someone else’s desires, beliefs, or even the fear of doing something different?
2. Always question yourself. Is this LOVING; or is this the most loving thing I can do in this moment? Am I representing God LOVE? How am I serving my purpose with these words/actions? Am I serving myself or others? What or who am I serving with these actions? What or who do my words and actions represent? Am I creating “heaven” or “hell” on earth? What would my Highest Self or Ancestors have to say about me doing/saying this? These questions, and any other questions along these lines that you think of are great reflection points, great mirrors to check how aligned your are.
3. As often as I can, I reflect back on my day. Were my words, actions and even my thoughts in alignment with what I said I want to worship?
4. I personally aspire to live most of my day/days in ritual. Being very present and intentional with every movement, action, word and breath. I know that it will take time, but I fully have faith in myself. A few rituals that I have in mind are:
morning devotionals/studying scripture
multiple designated times to make and drink tea
intentional movement
breathwork to move and clear energy
consistent sitting at one of my altars
intentional creation of spiritual tools
consistent creation of art of different mediums
designated times to show up as a guide
holy, present and intentional meal times
waking up in Spirit and ending the day in Spirit
I know this can sound like a lot, but if I do start to do just one thing in ritual consistently, I can always add on to the foundation.
I hold these desires and aspirations in my vision. While doing this, while serving the energy that I desire to serve, I must TRUST that I am loved, held, protected AND provided for because of not, I cannot proceed on my journey and fulfill my life mission with EASE….& I KNOW they want me to succeed.
I also do want to note that I do not believe money is evil. It is currency, it is energy. Just as people can do helpful AND harmful things with their energy, the same is true for money. I believe that the thirst and hunger for money is usually based in the thirst and hunger for power, which is rooted in LACK and fear.
All in all, I want you to remember that you can literally shape your reality with your thoughts; what you focus on & what you set your intentions on will naturally manifest whether consciously or not because that is how this universe and dimension works. “The Universe is listening, be careful what you say in it.” –Ibeyi
In all of this, PLEASE give yourself grace as we are up against SO many distractions intentionally placed in our way, in our faces that keep us from our own power and connection to the Divine.
So, what do you actually focus on? What do you worship?
Humans, mammon, power, yourself or God-love, pleasing the The Creator, loving your Ancestors, walking in your purpose?
Comment below!