Where are you now?
I’m not asking for your location according to Google Maps. I’m asking you where you are on your life’s journey. The one will move you from birth to death, including everything in between. The good. The bad. The ugly.
Do you have a family? Have you any children? Grandchildren? Or do you contracept because children aren’t included in your plans? Do you have a job? Are you trying to find a job? Do you make your money illegally? Do you try to follow the Ten Commandments? Can you even name them?
None of it matters. God loves you. Right now. If you don’t recognize and understand the depth of that love, when you share the message of the risen Jesus through your words and actions, you will be handing out an empty envelope.
Rediscovering Love
I want you to imagine that everything around you suddenly freezes. The bird stops chirping mid-song. The breeze ceases to blow. The clock stops ticking, and you are left standing alone. But you’re not alone. Jesus is here.
There are no more excuses necessary. Nothing to be embarrassed about. There is no one to influence or pressure you to say or think or feel a certain way. It’s just you and Jesus, and He already knows who you are. He’s known before you were born exactly who you would be, so there’s no need to explain. Just be, and let Him love you.
Take a deep breath. Feel your ribcage expand, and imagine all those dark places inside you opening up. Those places that you hide from others, sometimes even yourself. The things you’ve done. The thoughts you’ve had. The things that make you unlovable. The things you think a good God would never forgive. Let Jesus take a look. He will, and He’ll tell you, “It’s not so bad. Nothing I can’t fix.”
Show him the wounds. The place where you were abandoned by a loved one. Abused. Embarrassed. Hated. Offer them up to Him and He, the Divine Physician, will heal them.
Anything you’ve done up until this moment, anything that has happened to you, it’s all in the past, and that means the next moment is an opportunity to change. Even if you don’t, even if you try and fail, God’s love for you will never diminish.
Once you understand how much He loves you, which will take practice, it will break your heart to hurt Him. And when you realize that He loves every single human being on this planet just as much, you will understand that when you hurt them, you hurt Him. And that will break your heart, too.
That’s all. The message is Love.
The world will unfreeze. The birds will start chirping, the breeze blowing, the clock ticking. Once you know how much God loves you–so much that it’s painful to imagine—you will understand that everything you do moving forward, every choice you make, is a decision between loving Him back, or not.
And when people see the indescribable gift of love you have been given, because you won’t be able to hide it, then they will want to love Him too.
That’s evangelization.
Jacqueline Vick
Jacqueline Vick is a devout Catholic, wife to a wonderful guy, pet parent to a troubled mutt, and mystery writer. Her website is www.jacquelinevick.com.
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