Yesterday, we talked about the idea of learning to see ourselves in the light of God’s truth. This process is a difficult one, and we have to have a good reason to go through the discomfort of self-knowledge.
So, why should we do it? The answer is living in divine love. Once we are able to see ourselves through his eyes, he gives himself to us. We become little children who are totally dependent upon his love and mercy. We find joy in knowing that we can be loved in our authentic person. By this I mean living imperfectly in a state of sin, while cooperating with the Holy Spirit to avoid occasions of sin.
Let’s look at it from this perspective. Grace is the activity of the Holy Spirit in and around us. However, God will not override our free will. We have to surrender our will in favor of his, and thus become more cooperative with grace. Grace then becomes effective in our lives. It beckons us to choose the greater good, which is God and his will.
It is amazing to read the lives of the saints who have walked this path. They find joy in surrender. Here we are living our modern lives in great dependence on our own merit and worth, and all the while we fear whether our merit is good enough. Will people accept us as we are (or pretend to be)? How many of us are on anti-depressants? How many of us feel empty and without purpose? How many of us long for something more?
God is that something more. His divine love is the only thing that can fill our longing and desires. Nothing else will fit the God-sized hole in our lives. When we are ready to surrender to his divine love, when we go the path of self-knowledge, acknowledgement of our sinfulness, living in the truth of our sins, trusting in God to deliver us from our sinful nature both in the here and now and in the future, we find joy. Everlasting, blissful joy.
So, why don’t we go for it? Pride. Pride doesn’t want to see our selves through God’s eyes. Its kind of funny because he already sees us. He sees us and loves us where we are. Still, he wants us to have more; to not be sedentary in awareness of his mercy. Matthew tells us, “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Mt 5:3. It is the humble who know their place before God, and thus enter the kingdom of heaven. It is those who surrender to the king of Kings, and live in the light of his love that attain the kingdom.
Spend some time today pondering where you are on the faith journey. Invite the Holy Spirit in as you work towards a greater awareness of his activity in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see in truth of the status of your faith walk. It is ok that we are sinners. It is the human condition. That is why we need a savior, and why Jesus came to die for our sins. None of us are exempt from this truth. Spend some time today asking the Holy Spirit to show you how you can better surrender to divine love today.
In Him,
Ms. Debra D. Weldon, OP
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