Have A Little Faith in We

Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time: “And he replied, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.”
Matthew 13:52

This week’s gospel is a parable that shares the value of Heaven & how it is worth sacrificing all we have in this world. This particular line points to how both Old and New Testament have that same message: Eternity with God is worth everything. And what is everything? All our belongings? What about our dreams? How about secrets? Fears? Frustrations? Losses? Often it is in reference to giving up things of the world. A feat with no small price, as most of the world’s message is to get more, not give up more. But I also think it can make us hyper focus on concrete sacrifices and forgetting that offering up of your losses, the broken parts, the feelings of “supposed to be”, can be just as powerful. Maybe even necessary to unburden ourselves and progress towards God.

Perfection is not required for God or eternity. However a desire for communion with him is and this week we are reminded every part of us brought to the Lord, is an opportunity for him to heal, utilize, redeem and transform. We are called as disciples, leaders in our community or homes, and as Christians to live by example: bring all that you have to Him.

Maybe my foundation as a cradle Catholic or maybe my admiration for more traditional family members who handed down the faith, because I have always struggled with the challenge opening up my wounds for healing as part of handing it all over. To me that is a version of whining or it sounds like I want to get on God’s level. I want to have him explain something to me… I want to have him change something…. And my mind says: that is not the way of true faith. True faith is struggling under the weight and calling it sacrifice.

However I have spent a lot of time learning what sacrifice and suffering can be and none of it is about God as a dictator. God, knowing better then I? Of course! My not always understanding his answers or where life is headed? Yes, he is God and I am not! But the feeling of “you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit” isn’t exactly right. He wants you to come to him and learn from him how to sacrifice or grow – or both at the same time. The restoration is as much about me having a heart open to change or healing or help, as it is to God responding. Giving everything to be with him, it is a relationship.

When topics like this get difficult for our human understanding, I like to remember a few key things:

Jesus was human. Yes, he was God and that does make his experience very different from ours, but he still knows what it is like to feel human. Those emotions that trip us up, He knows about it. The limits of exhaustion or hunger that can play a big role in our ability to navigate day to day, he had to account for those too. God also called him to a mission that was part of the big plan, but it was scary, overwhelming, and counter to the ways of the world. Jesus knows us, understands us, and loves us as a fellow human.

Second, God made you. Those lines from the Bible that we love to just throw around so often, we almost are immune to them: count every hair on our head, if God takes care of the birds, he of course will care for you, etc. These excerpts are so often part of the Christian experience, we are numb to the power of their message. So I like to pause and remember: he made me exactly as I am, and loves me as that person. We are desperate to be understood, loved, protected, supported: our creator does that best and WANTS to do it by meeting us right where we are today.

The idea of taking it ALL to God is actually a hard concept. So this week, let’s just relish in the call: Jesus says He wants it all…. That is a love we could all use.

A few resources for this message:
Be Healed – I am only 30% through this book m, yet it has been extremely helpful in learning what healing can be done through Jesus.

Sister Miriam James Heidland – if you search for her on YouTube and specifically seek out one of her healing meditations, I can promise you the way you feel about giving Jesus your heart will be changed.

The Wimmicks – this is a children’s book, but the message is one we all will benefit from (my sister and I both get a little emotional reading it with our littles): God is our creator and he determines our worth.