I gave my soul to him all all the things I owned were his:
I have no flocks to tend nor any other trade
and my ministry is love.” ~St. John of the Cross

    If we truly want spiritual enlightenment, we must give ourselves completely to God, without reservations or conditions. And we must obey His will without expectation of reward; we cannot bargain with God.

    In my church, and some others, ministers state in their prayers that are brides and husbands of God, His brother or sister. That is the kind of connection that must be established with God in order to achieve enlightenment. This doesn't mean you must give up anything else in you life any more than getting married means you must quit your job. It is really just a matter of making God the number one priority. Obeying His will, doing His work, following His plan before anything else. And if you find yourself in a relationship with your spouse, your friends, or your employer that prevents you from doing that, then you must try to change that relationship or end it. Especially when it is friends who are preventing you from doing what you know you should be doing. They are not really friends if they are preventing you from saving your soul. And when I say God, I don't mean his prophets, messengers, sons or daughters, I mean God Himself.