This morning, I reflected on the question, "What has Jesus done for me?"
In ministry, we are generally on mission to share the love of God with others, invite them into deeper relationship with God, and then call them to go forth and spread that love with those they encounter. In reflecting on that mission, I realized it can only be carried out if I first know the personal love God has for me. How has He really shown me something that I feel obliged to share with others? What has He truly done for me? Can I say my life is tangibly different because I am a follower of Christ?
Without sharing my entire testimony, I believe two main words stick out for me and I pray they will be edifying for you.
Hope and Meaning.
Time and time again in my high school and college years, I found myself alone. Not just physically but spiritually, feeling like nothing was working and no one truly knew what I was experiencing. It seemed that life was full of disappointment and on top of that, I couldn't see any reason behind it all. Heartbreak, loss of family, broken dreams, failure.. All of this without hope or meaning.
It was precisely in these dark moments at the end of my rope where the light of Christ shone the brightest. Initiated by God, and through no effort of my own besides surrendering and waving the white flag, I experienced the hope that Jesus is. In giving up myself, He came to me not with a wordy outline of why I should have hope, nor a nice definition of hope. But as Hope Himself. He truly restored my vision for life and gave me reason to continue on despite the valleys of life. Through His presence, I felt that He truly knew me and what I was going through. Intimately, He held my soul and led me into a life of hope, inviting me to live the rest of my life as a response to His love for me.
Though life continues to bring both joy and pain, I have this tangible hope and a new meaningful lens to see reality through.
So.. Parents, Youth, Priests, what has Jesus done for you?