IS 48:17-19
PS 1:1-2, 3, 4, AND 6
MT 11:16-19
Thus says the LORD, your redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel:
I, the LORD, your God,
teach you what is for your good,
and lead you on the way you should go.
If you would hearken to my commandments,
your prosperity would be like a river,
and your vindication like the waves of the sea;
the Holy One of Israel:
I, the LORD, your God,
teach you what is for your good,
and lead you on the way you should go.
If you would hearken to my commandments,
your prosperity would be like a river,
and your vindication like the waves of the sea;
[Isaiah 48:17-18]
As
a mother to two young boys, I often find myself banging my head against a wall
(figuratively and sometimes literally) when it comes to the number of times I
say no: “Ben, no, don’t grab your brother’s neck like that…. Jason, no, toilets
are not toys.” Of course, I try to direct their behavior because they are two
and four years old – they do not yet have the capacity to fully understand
their actions and both the immediate and long term consequences of them. So for
their safety and ultimate happiness, I find myself laying out a list of
commands quite frequently when I would much rather be cuddling or playing with
them.
Every
once in a while, I stop and reflect – this must be how God is with me sometimes
(ok, much of the time). I imagine God, my eternal parent, banging head and
hands against the stars or the big pearly gates, saying like Isaiah in today’s
first reading, “If she only listened to me, her prosperity would be like a
river.” Often I think we forget that God would want nothing more than to
envelope us in love, peace, and joy, an eternal cuddle so to speak. God’s
commands are for our ultimate safety and happiness, rather than an annoying
list of rules for judgement and punishment.
During
this season of Advent, whether or not you have children, I encourage you to
take some time to imagine yourself as God’s child and reflect on how God wants nothing
more than to love you and give you the best. However, this requires our
cooperation and openness to God’s grace in the world and those around us. We
may falter and fail, but God’s abundant love is still there in the meekness of
a child on Christmas morning. Then end your reflection imagining yourself
running to the open arms of God...stay there for a while and savor this
unending, overwhelming love, allowing it to inspire you to be the best, most
authentic version of yourself.
Erin Schmidt is the Liturgy Coordinator in Campus Ministry.
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