"He no longer stands before God as a slave, in servile fear, or as a mercenary looking for wages, but as a son responding to the love of him who first loved us." CCC1828
Are you a hired hand? Hired hands do everything with conditions attached. Just like doing work only if you’re paid, they will do this or that thing – but they are really only doing it because they expect something in return.
Are you a slave? Slaves do what they’re told and do it because they have to. They are dependent on instruction and can blame others for not doing something because they weren’t told to do it.
Are you a child? Children do whatever they think of doing in the moment. They live recklessly and dangerously in the present. Because of this, they don’t expect anyone to tell them what to do (and can get upset if someone does) and often lack the depth of thought to do something with conditions attached. They just do it.
Of these three examples, which represents your relationship with God?
Will you do the right thing, but only when it’s convenient? Do you play games with God – giving him 70% or 80% control, but keeping that final 20% or 30% just in case? This is how the hired hand does it, always having their hand out or looking over their shoulder making sure things are “fair.”
Do you do the right thing, and when you do, feel proud of yourself? Are you treating your faith life as if there are boxes to check? Do you do what you presume you have to do? Mass on Sunday? – yep. Told my spouse and kids I loved them? – yep. Didn’t do anything terribly wrong today? – yep. If you do these things because you HAVE to, don’t fool yourself, you’re closer to a slave than anything else.
Do you enjoy living? Do you see the beauty in the blue sky AND in the rain that falls? Do you feel wonder and awe sometimes through your day silently as you drive about or walk about? Do you look at people and silently, in your heart, pray for them and ask God to provide the grace to follow and love him? When you face scary and difficult things, do you revert to being the hired hand or the slave, or do you simply keep moving forward because of your childlike trust in Christ?
Jesus wants us to be like children (Matthew 19:13-14). He wants us to live in the present and hand our lives over. He wants us to do the right thing because it’s the right thing – not because we get something in return or because we are told to do it. If we trust and love our Lord, we will do what we do for that reason alone. And when we do, we'll find ourselves living a life of freedom. There is no fear of lacking, there is no fear of missing out, there is no living with the fear and suffering thinking we "have to," there is just childlike pleasure in living life as his redemption allows us to live.
Are you a hired hand? Hired hands do everything with conditions attached. Just like doing work only if you’re paid, they will do this or that thing – but they are really only doing it because they expect something in return.
Are you a slave? Slaves do what they’re told and do it because they have to. They are dependent on instruction and can blame others for not doing something because they weren’t told to do it.
Are you a child? Children do whatever they think of doing in the moment. They live recklessly and dangerously in the present. Because of this, they don’t expect anyone to tell them what to do (and can get upset if someone does) and often lack the depth of thought to do something with conditions attached. They just do it.
Of these three examples, which represents your relationship with God?
Will you do the right thing, but only when it’s convenient? Do you play games with God – giving him 70% or 80% control, but keeping that final 20% or 30% just in case? This is how the hired hand does it, always having their hand out or looking over their shoulder making sure things are “fair.”
Do you do the right thing, and when you do, feel proud of yourself? Are you treating your faith life as if there are boxes to check? Do you do what you presume you have to do? Mass on Sunday? – yep. Told my spouse and kids I loved them? – yep. Didn’t do anything terribly wrong today? – yep. If you do these things because you HAVE to, don’t fool yourself, you’re closer to a slave than anything else.
Do you enjoy living? Do you see the beauty in the blue sky AND in the rain that falls? Do you feel wonder and awe sometimes through your day silently as you drive about or walk about? Do you look at people and silently, in your heart, pray for them and ask God to provide the grace to follow and love him? When you face scary and difficult things, do you revert to being the hired hand or the slave, or do you simply keep moving forward because of your childlike trust in Christ?
Jesus wants us to be like children (Matthew 19:13-14). He wants us to live in the present and hand our lives over. He wants us to do the right thing because it’s the right thing – not because we get something in return or because we are told to do it. If we trust and love our Lord, we will do what we do for that reason alone. And when we do, we'll find ourselves living a life of freedom. There is no fear of lacking, there is no fear of missing out, there is no living with the fear and suffering thinking we "have to," there is just childlike pleasure in living life as his redemption allows us to live.