The Holy Spirit has been hitting me over the head with this verse for a couple of weeks. I was in the middle of a talk and took a sharp turn off my outline to quote it without thought.
I cracked open the soul-changing Unbound to find it in the first couple of chapters.
A priest drove it home in his homily.
Mm hmm. I get it. Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.
“If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him…” He will come in. And when he does, he’ll transform and make new. It makes me think of Zacchaeus – corrupt but curious about Jesus – and when he opened his own door to the Lord – BOOM – huge conversion.
I’ve lately realized how many of my faults and sinful tendencies I chalk up to habit or personality AND how, coincidentally, I cling to them out of fear that changing will be painful. It’s just how I am. and I can’t fathom getting out of the hole I’ve dug for myself.
But what if we could open ourselves to Christ and offer him the oldest, most impossible flaws we have and let him make us Brave by Grace?
YES. It’s terrifying, but I need that. I need change in how I relate to my husband and how I mother our babies. I need change in how I connect with others and most of all, how I connect with Jesus. I need trust and hope that Jesus will do what he says he will do.
But I have to open the door.
Or maybe I need Jesus to bust right through it. To come and get me, as it says in Unbound. [Seriously…read it.]
Praise the Lord for this big, long WAIT. We need to sit and do some good ol’ fashioned Advent-waiting for the Lord to speak and work. Fr. Michael said yesterday that we’re quick to abandon prayer because we don’t think Jesus is going to show up. “You know why you stop waiting for someone? Because you don’t think they’re going to show up!” I grimaced in guilt – it’s true. I have given up on the Lord in the past because I became impatient or lost faith. Honestly and humbly, I want to be done with that.
Ha – and I’m sure Jesus wants me to be done with that, too.
Take heart, dear soul. Opening the door to Christ – letting him make his way in and change every sin and bad habit we’ve comfortably clung to feels terrifying. No one likes change when it’s painful or uncomfortable, but the bliss and peace on the other side of that transformation is certain.
Ask for the grace to open your heart – even just a crack – or ask Jesus to bust right through to come get you. He will.
Today’s MMWS was brought to you by the Holy Spirit +
Do you have a quotation from a saint you’d like to see here? Email me at katie{at}thecatholicwife{dot}net or message me on Facebook! I’ll be sure to mention and thank you in the featured post!
See the Monday Morning with the Saints Pinterest Board for more wisdom from the Church Triumphant.
+Last night’s first talk in my Advent series was SO. FUN. Thanks for joining me if you were able!! If you missed the live broadcast, you can still watch it on Facebook! We talked about how we hide behind busyness to avoid letting Jesus in; and next Sunday at 8:40 PM CST, we’ll talk about how we women habitually compare ourselves to others. This is such a huge obstacle to Jesus and it wasn’t until recent years that I was able to see it. Every Sunday night in Advent I’ll talk for 10-15 minutes and we’ll have all the chat time you want afterward.