How has my life changed since Jesus came into my life? What unexpected places do I find myself in because of this personal encounter with Jesus?
He came into my life 64 years ago so that means my life has been one continual change ever since. The more I learn to love, the more loving He calls me to.
It also means a constant emptying so that there will be more room for Him. It is a single ongoing effort to divest myself of ego which is like shoveling the sidewalk while it is still snowing.
I find myself being called to be kind when I would enjoy being mean much more. I find myself being asked at regular intervals to put my Isaac on the altar. I find people seeing in me qualities I do not possess like compassion and non-judgmentalness. I assume He put them there for others to see so that He might become more real to them.
I find myself freer in the way I live. Very many issues are no longer issues to me. Things that triggered anger in me like spontaneous combustion fizzle for lack of oxygen.
Everywhere I turn I find grace being poured on me like showers in April. Grace is the only way I can account for every change I manage. I believe becoming a more authentic follower of Jesus comes from what He does with me than what I do at all just as a piece of play or a block of marble becomes a sculpture because of what the sculptor does with it, not because of what it does with itself.
Ultimately, I trust He will make so transparent that all anyone will be able to see is His Light shining through. With Paul, I would like to be able to say, "I live, no not I. Christ lives in me."
Where does the Holy Spirit come in? It is His power that will make this happen.
When I was a little girl we lived in a house with shining, highly polished mahogany floors. My grandmother always wore a saya and now and then she would drop the train of her saya on the floor. My sister and I would take turns sitting on the train. Then when she walked she would take us to wherever she was going. All we had to do was sit.
I think that is how God transforms us. We sit us on the train of His saya and He takes us wherever He wishes.
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2 comments:
I love what you wrote here, Mrs. J. You are so right. I am so selfish, and not giving enough, but God helps me with that all the time. It was not until I became closer to God that I recognized that about myself, and yet people tell me opposite things more often. Thank you so much for writing in the blog again! I have loved it so much, and will check it all the time now.
Here's a new one I am curious about: How do you keep God on your mind all the time? I know it sounds like a weird question, but sometimes I get into a rut when I leave God in the church after I leave Mass on Sunday, and I forget to pray the whole week, simply because He is not on my mind as often. It is those weeks when He is on my mind that I come to Him in prayer more often during the week, because it is easier to do so when I am thinking about it. Lately when I realize that I have "forgotten to pray" (as silly as that is), I just ask God to help me love Him more and to make prayer easier for me. That seems to have helped, but I still am having trouble with that. So how do you keep Him on your mind throughout your day, every day, without fail?
This is beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
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