Is it possible to know what we are capable of accomplishing during our lifetime? Jesus said, yes, with God all things are possible. But absent a personal relationship with God, our spiritual vision is limited.
When we live our lives with worldly assumptions and self-imposed limitations that do not reflect God’s vision for us, we fail to see ourselves or our potential for doing good clearly. We see only those things that we can imagine ourselves, but not what we could imagine if we collaborated with God.
After more than six decades, I’ve come to realize that a life unfulfilled is a reflection of one’s failure to collaborate with God; an unfulfilled life is indicative of placing one’s faith in ourselves or worldly things, not God.
God asks us to have no other God except Him, but in order to achieve that we need to recognize that we need Him and cannot rely only on ourselves, others, or “things” to make us happy. We must develop a personal relationship with God, and we must recognize that we will not reach our potential without Him in our lives.
We can begin or enhance our personal relationship with God by reflecting on what we want to say to Him and then practicing heartfelt prayer. There is no right or wrong way to communicate with God; there is no right or wrong time or place. We do not need human intermediaries or anyone’s permission to do so. The point is to communicate with God in our own way, as best we can, based on what we know about Him, and as often as we can. He knows what’s in our hearts, and there is no need for pretense or fear. There is no question that He will forgive us for our mistakes, and He will stand by us as we face the worldly consequences for them.
The more we seek to learn about God, reflect upon Him, and the more we practice praying, the easier our relationship with Him will become.
Fortunately for everyone, God is a loving, forgiving, and compassionate Heavenly Father. It’s never too late to turn to God if we are sincere in our desire to have a relationship with Him and if we seek His forgiveness for the acts or inaction that we have done to dishonor Him, ourselves, and others. There is nothing He is incapable of forgiving. With God, all things are possible.
And the truth is, we need God in our lives. It’s not always easy, but we were meant to follow Him to the best of our abilities.
We were not “built” to journey alone in this world, nor is it spiritually healthy to seek self-reliance without God in our lives. God offers to walk with us. He is waiting for us to seek Him, to invite Him into our lives, to make an effort to know Him, and to walk with Him on the path He lays before us.
In His infinite compassion and love for us, God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to light our Way through the darkness of this world — and the darkness of our inner selves. To bridge the gap between us and our Heavenly Father; between eternal death and eternal life. To fulfill the promise of eternal peace. To make God known to us, and more comprehensible, and to make it easier for us to have a personal relationship with Him through Jesus. To offer us not only His love, but His friendship and understanding.
Only through Christ, can we find our way to God. Those are not my words; they are His. Only by faith in Christ, can we be forgiven our mistakes. Only in collaboration with Christ, will we reach our full potential on earth and fulfill God’s plans for us.
Through Christ, God illuminates our potential for doing good in this world — and shows us the Way. Through Christ, God offers love instead of hate; hope instead of despair; and, light instead of darkness. Through Christ, God fulfills His promise to offer salvation from the darkness that is inside all of us – and to save us from spiritual death.
When we see only a world that is cloaked in darkness and shadows, it’s easy to lose our way. When we see strangers only as potential adversaries and not as our spiritual brothers and sisters, it’s easier to despair. When we view ourselves as exploiters of natural resources, and not as stewards of our planet and the living creatures with which we share this earth, it’s easier to dismiss the futility of our greed and exploitation. When we close our hearts to those who suffer around us, it’s easier for the darkness to grow inside us. But when we see the world through the loving eyes of Christ and open ourselves to the truth of His Word, God’s mercy will soften our hearts and His love will light our Way.
Image: Grace Sandra
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