The Choice of God or Me

My first inclination upon receiving an invitation to write again for the Faculty/Staff Advent blog is, OMG! I can’t possibly subject myself to that again. Putting my thoughts on paper to inspire the masses just seems so difficult during this busy time of year. I have so much on my plate right now and there is not a minute to spare. I have job responsibilities like filing, state reports, data entry and phone calls to make. I also have personal things to consider like shopping, decorating the house, babysitting my grandson and so much more. But then it hits me, just as quickly as I want to say no, I feel the urge to say yes.

God calls all of us and sometimes we hear Him and answer. But often the world has a way of distracting us from hearing God. It can sometimes keep us in a kind of faithless limbo. I am often amazed at how easily I will sit through a movie until the final end credits and the final note of the closing song has been sung, yet many times at mass I am tempted to head for the parking lot after communion. I wrestle with the notion of should I stay or should I go? And on many of those occasions, God puts in front of me a friend I haven’t seen or an after church opportunity I didn’t consider. I hear Him and I answer. I choose Him. But why do I even have to make that decision? Shouldn’t the choice to spend my valuable time with God be my priority? Why is staying until the end of the mass the harder choice?

I read the passage for today and one thing that resonates with me is: “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”. God gives me choices while building my relationship with Him. He knows already my struggles, failures and victories with those choices, and He always loves me anyway. He wants me to make the right choice, but He forgives me when I fail. This Advent, I need to practice looking to Him in everything I do, without struggle. I need to work on saying yes and establishing a stronger personal relationship with Him. After all, I want to be with Him for my end credits and final closing song.

“Be strong fear not! Here is your God”

Author: Diane Camara, Registrar