Monday, October 11, 2010

Who Am I?

     I must confess I’ve often gotten caught up in thinking that it is what I do that will determine whether or not other people will love me. When I’m not careful, I start thinking that God is that way—He’ll only love me if I do or don’t do certain things. Deep down, I know that’s not true about the people who genuinely love me, and I’m positive it isn’t true of God, either.
     “Who Am I?” is a wonderful song by Casting Crowns which I first heard when I made my Christ Renews His Parish retreat back in February. Here are some excerpts from it which remind me of the Truth about our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ:
“Who am I that the Lord of all the earth
would care to know my name
would care to feel my hurt?”

“Not because of who I am,
but because of what You’ve done,
not because of what I’ve done,
but because of Who You are."

…still You hear me when I’m calling.
Lord, You catch me when I’m falling.
You told me who I am:
I am Yours. I am Yours.”

     You and I belong to God because He created us in His image. There is nothing we can do to earn the Lord’s love or to make Him stop loving us. There are a multitude of things we can do to experience and accept God’s love on a deeper level. There are a myriad of things we can do to refuse God’s love and reject His grace, but not even those actions will cause the Lord to stop loving us. It’s virtually inconceivable for an action-oriented, results-driven person like me to accept that my mere existence glorifies God. I can think of a number of people in my life who I am sure glorify and bring delight to the Lord just by their existence, but I often feel it’s hardest to accept that’s true of me, too.
     Dear Lord, please bless all of us on our spiritual journeys. Help us open up our hearts so that the Holy Spirit is able to move freely in and through us to bring others closer to You. Sanctify our minds, bodies, and spirits, so we are strong, holy vessels for Your word, love, and Truth. Give us peace that passes all understanding, a sense of deep, unquenchable joy, and a profound trust in You. Guide us to choose Your will in all areas of our lives. Show us how precious we are to You, and grant us the ability to see ourselves and others through Your loving eyes. Amen.
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