Do Not Unpack and Get Comfortable

I will admit - I am a nest builder.  Whenever I've moved into a new home - I have thought about it, planned it, seen every room in my mind's eye.  When the faithful day comes, I know where I want each piece of furniture (movers love me - I can tell them exactly where to sit the couch and put the bed) and I know where to hang each picture upon the wall.  I feel safe, centered.  Life is in order. Life is good.  But is it?

And here comes the truth -- is this what God wants for our relationship with him - our journey to eternal life?  Do we tend to get to a point and stop for a while - unpack, hang pictures on the wall?  Go to Mass each Sunday, pray three Rosaries a week and pray before meals without a thought of the journey that the Lord has laid before us.  I know over my life I have many times - I grow,/move, arrive at a place and then get comfortable - too comfortable to move forward.  I come up with reasons why I cannot move - Lent is coming - so I will just stay here until Easter.  Easter comes, well it's Easter now - I like it here - I think I will hang another picture. And on and on and on it will go.

Our faith is one of growth - movement.  We are not meant to stop and move in.  We are meant to keep putting one foot in front of another.  Step by step till we reach the pinnacle of our love - the one who has loved us with an unending love - the one who created us, who loved us first.

So, why do we stop?  Why do we move in?  For me, I think it is one of fear of the unknown.  I like to understand and know what my next move will be. I tend to let life take my focus away, I can easily get "caught up" with what is going on around me and loose sight of what is stand right before me.

  But faith does not work that way - it will take us into the unknown - it takes our focus off of what is round us and moves it to what is in front of us - the Father's love.  Faith will take us to heights of which we have not dreamed of.  It will take us to people who we have not met or loved yet.  It is not always easy - it is not meant to be.  It is to be one of desire, longing, and movement.

In the Gospels we always see Jesus in movement - going from one city to the next, moving from one person to another.  We never hear of him "moving in" somewhere - even the cross could not keep him.

Growing in faith calls for movement - it calls for us to reach farther, experience God's love even deeper than we did yesterday.  It is one of learning, praying, doing.  We are called to love others as our selves.  We are called to love God above all others.  We are not called to stand still and settle in. - unpack and hang pictures.  This should  simply to be a rest stop; catch our breath and then arise and keep going.

This Lent will be for me a time of growth, movement.  I feel God's call to listen - hear His call - move closer and deeper in love with Him.  It does not mean I will abandon family and loved ones - just the opposite - my prayer is that they will join me on this journey. 

Now I need to take down those pictures....