But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Luke 1:29
Hearing and obeying God is difficult for many of us. We have both internal, private noise drowning out God’s voice. Then, there is external, public noise always trying to capture our attention with bold colors, loud sounds.
Our Christian life can be described as a journey toward God. Each day we travel a little closer to God. We are gathering impressions, observations, thoughts, epiphanies as we move along. We learn by watching ourselves and watching others. Prayer is very helpful. The longer the period of prayer, often the more deeper the relationship with God. A healthy prayer life can form a great novitiate of spiritual development and fortitude, a wonderful initiation into living with charity, humility, and obedience. This initiation occurs with dedication, diligence, and discernment.
The entirety of life becomes the syllabus for an exploration into being Christian, following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, into living the Beatitudes.
Loving and serving God will become the most important thing in life.
The desire to be selfless, to serve without being noticed, without being thanked, to serve even if it might be dangerous will lead you closer to God, closer to holiness. There is no assurance of reward or remembrance for any act of kindness or charity. Serving God means being anonymous, being humble. I have seen myself in my imagination performing some great charitable deed with a great cinematic flourish and theatrical oration. I am often frightened and amused by these thoughts for they are products of movies and television shows that I have viewed and which I look back upon with a cautious, suspicious eye. I prefer my daydreams to be vague and intimate; I should buy lunch for this person in need, help this person with an application for this. I must find my place in the real world where people have real problems, real fears. I must find myself in my imagination so that I will be prepared to honestly, truly, gently share goodness, holiness, kindness.
Jesus Christ asks his followers to combat all impulses to be selfish; he reminded his followers of the necessity to develop and share all actions, feelings, and ideas which give God praise, glory, and thanks. He told the Apostles and the other followers to believe in God, to invite and welcome God into their hearts and their souls.
Being obedient to God’s will may at times be very difficult but it is always rewarding.
It is easy to pretend not to hear, to decide not to obey God’s wishes. It is easy to pretend that the message was garbled, or to postpone making a decision. The Holy Spirit can only guide us to God when we allow it. Having faith and hope in our lives is great, but it is better when we use them for the glory of God.
Hearing and obeying God requires active participation, discernment, and courage.
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