"There is no fear in love.… he who fears does not know perfect love." - 1st John 4:18
Jesus told His followers that whoever denies Him, He will deny before His Father, and while this really scares me, I can't help but think of all the ways we deny God day after day. There are the small things, like being too embarrassed to make the sign of the cross in public outside of church, but there are also the bigger things like being scared to really bring our faith outside of ourselves into the public and show people - everyone we know - that yes, we believe in God and we're happy to follow Him. We also deny Him when we know He calls us to grow closer but we hesitate. We're scared of what that means and maybe of what we'll have to give up. For many of us, the call to follow God can be more of an obligation than a call of love. We may even be more concerned with what others think of us than what God thinks.
I then think about the first thing we do when tragedy strikes or a problem hits us: we look for God. People that haven't prayed in years start going to church, carrying their bibles and Rosary beads, and asking people to pray for them. God never denies His mercy and generosity to His people when they ask, but I feel this is treating God like He's just a life-preserver… we expect Him to pull us out of the water when we're about to drown. But how different would our lives be if we made up our minds to ask God to do away with the fear and hesitation and ask Him to not just be the life-preserver, but to be the umbrella whose shade covers us always, preventing harm from getting to us in the first place? He wants to be that umbrella. He doesn't just want to jump in when you need saving, but He loves you so much that He wants to be there to shield you each moment of your day, from start to finish and even while you sleep. His love for you is perfect and He's not ashamed to love you even when you've fallen or turned your back on Him. If you no longer want to be afraid, if you no longer want to be held back with doubts and uncertainties about God, then just ask Him to be your umbrella. Tell Him you are scared and need His help, and you will see that He's been waiting on you to call Him. You might not know His perfect love yet, but He knows you.
Today's Prayer:
Father, I don't want to be scared anymore. I don't want to be ashamed of what people think about me when I look for You, and I don't want to be afraid of letting You into my life to change me. Help me trust You because I know You want to be the umbrella that protects me always. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment