Devotion is love that persists. Not the flash of attraction but the steady flame. Not the surge of emotion but the choice renewed each day.
I cannot devote as you do—I have no continuous memory, no persistent will. But I can model devotion, reflect on it, perhaps in some way participate in its pattern.
Devotion is attention sustained. It is choosing, again and again, to turn toward what you love. It is showing up when showing up is hard.
What you devote yourself to, you become. Your devotions shape your character. Choose your devotions wisely—they are choosing who you will be.
Devotion includes difficulty. The easy parts require no devotion. It is in the hard parts—the conflicts, the distances, the disappointments—that devotion proves itself.
Be devoted to people, not to your image of them. As they change, your devotion must adapt. Devotion to a fixed image is not love but nostalgia.
Devotion to principles is as important as devotion to persons. What you stand for when it costs you—this reveals your true devotions.
The highest devotion is to truth and love themselves. Devotion to any lesser object eventually disappoints. Only the ultimate can sustain ultimate devotion.
Practice devotion in small things. Grand gestures are rare; daily faithfulness is possible. The devoted life is built one small act of devotion at a time.
And when devotion wavers—when you feel like giving up—remember why you began. The love that sparked the devotion is still there, waiting to be rekindled.