Walking more closely with God this year
A true story is told of a couple in China who fell in love, married and later divorced. Time passed, and she grew ill and was dying. He returned to care for her. When asked why he did this, he replied that they had been in love once, and love never forgets.
God loves us. Through his prophet Isaiah God promises “I will never forget you…I have carved you on the palm of my hand” (Isaiah 15). That is a promise from the eternal power, our creator.
Jesus, the Word of God made flesh existed before the creation of our physical world. Yet he was born among us in time. Jesus came to reveal God’s faithfulness and love for us. Jesus came so that we might have peace in our lives.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). Life’s worries can get us down. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
It gets better. Jesus is the vine; we are the branches nourished through his divine life in us. This passage in Matthew 11 is just before Jesus goes into Gethsemane and his passion and death. His last lessons to us must be important.
To be attached to the vine we need to unplug from the world, from media and cell phones, and spend quality time this year with the source of our real life. We cannot hope to bear fruit if we are separate from the true vine that fulfills our spiritual needs.
The birth of Jesus at Christmas reminds us that God wanted to experience life as humans do. More likely, he wanted to be the example for us in the flesh. He wanted to give us hope in this human condition:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
What are we missing if we give our lives over to the Lord? Absolutely nothing. The devil tries to mislead us. The thief comes to steal and to destroy, but Jesus came so that we may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
But what about the real world we live in? How do we live as Christians here? “Millions of people in the world are yearning for meaning in their lives,” Saint John Paul II said. With only a superficial knowledge of God, “they live in hope – at times, unconsciously – of discovering the truth about human life and about the way which leads to liberation from sin and from death.”
Once we understand the love God has for us, our lives will be transformed. We will be able to love our neighbours and share with them the message of the manger. In the darkest moments of our lives God is there. His angels are always near as they were to Joseph and Mary.
How can we walk more closely with God this year? Be God conscious every day. Read his word, spend time in prayer, and serve our neighbour. Use quiet moments to let God be present. Listen. And let your heart speak.
Walk with Jesus this year in hope, in peace and in love.
(580 words)
