We are free

My friend Emily recently reminded me that we are free. Jesus purchased us with the price of his life so we could walk in freedom and joy and love with him. He wants to be in relationship with us, to see what we will choose, to decide and live together. We don't have to complicate things. He wants us to enjoy being with him.

Rather than it being really difficult to discern what God wants, perhaps it is actually really easy. God isn't making a game out of anything, stringing us along and having us jump through hoops to try to figure anything out. Rather, God is right before us and within us. We can trust that. God is also through us and through the people around us. We can reach out to them for help in matters big and small and receive God's free goodness through them, too. Just as when we reach out to others it blesses their lives, we can reach out to others to let them be a blessing to us, as well.

Oftentimes, I feel like I have to repay everyone for everything they do for me, but sometimes, people just want to make a gift of something, to bless us freely and abundantly, richly and deeply, like God. We can let them by receiving it as a gift and blessing. The beautiful thing about receiving freedom and goodness is that we can then extend this to others by giving good things away freely, with no obligations and no expectations attached.

One of the most meaningful examples of receiving freely in my life occurred once when I was talking with a priest. I asked him how I could contribute monetarily to his ministry in gratitude for the help he had given me. He told me I couldn't in any way and that, "What is freely received is freely given." It was a beautiful moment of realization for me: I don't always have to be the giver. Sometimes, it's good to let others love me freely, to receive a gift, to know grace in this way. And then to be able to live more freely in what I give to others because of it.

Psalm 31:20 (NAB) states, "How great is your goodness, Lord, stored up for those who fear you. You display it for those who trust you, in the sight of the children of Adam."

How true this is. Just as we delight in giving a child something that makes them smile, God delights in giving us his goodness. Let's ask for it, making our requests known to God and to others, and see how God blesses our prayers. Let's let people love us and let this love point us toward the free love of our Heavenly Father.