Go Deeper
It must have started with a quote from the October 16 entry in Mother Teresa’s book, “Do Something Beautiful for God”.
If you were to die today, what would others say about you? What was in you that was beautiful, that was Christlike, that helped others to pray better? Face yourself with Christ at your side, and do not be satisfied with just any answer. Go deep into the question. Examine your life.
Wow. Mother Teresa certainly had the gift of getting to the heart of things, not only with her actions but also with her words.
This past week I have felt called to go deeper. That directive was continually jumping out at me during my prayer time and Scripture reading. The daily readings from Romans this week served to convict me even more. Saint Paul’s deep thoughts (and sentence structure) always challenge me to dig deeper!
Are you content with remaining at a plateau relationship with the Lord? Have you attained a certain relationship level and feel comfortable staying right there? Perhaps you are feeling what I have been suspecting about myself: that I am pretty darn okay with simply being mediocre in my faith journey? Maybe it wasn’t a deliberate choice, but I find myself staying in a comfortable place, remaining safely on shore.
Maybe you are unsure how to go about climbing higher, going deeper? At the same time, you fear slipping backwards, down into the valley or getting into deeper waters where your feet cannot touch bottom. Ironically, these may very well be Holy Spirit nudges. My daughter! It is time to go deeper. But where to start?
A good beginning will require taking stock of your life at this point. Do celebrate how far you have come in your relationship with the Lord. Thank Him, then perform an honest inventory of your gifts and talents. Determine areas where your strengths can be put to good or even better use.
If you have been gifted with leadership skills, lead for God’s sake. Step up and chair a church or community committee.
If you are blessed with the gift of extra time, use it to pray for others. We all know the power of intercessory prayer.
If you are known for your hospitality, throw open the doors to your life and be even more welcoming. Help with a parish event. Invite neighbors over for coffee and fellowship.
This will not be an easy, one-and-done process. It will take courage and commitment to go deeper. I freely admit that I am not comfortable in deep waters. This includes both the literal and the figurative kinds. At this point, I need to remember that I am not on this journey alone. He is always leading the way, walking beside me, or encouraging me to go forward. Why is it so hard to imagine what God sees in us, the ways He wants to transform and use us?
May we all trust in the need to go deeper and rely on the One who calls us there.
