Real living is hard work. Adult believing is hard work.
Ask any parent who wants their child to develop into a well-mannered child whom adults like to associate with and you have a hard-working parent. It takes a lot of effort and much patience to raise a pleasant child.
If you want to nurture and develop your friendships you are very conscious how much hard work is involved in our relationships.
To live a life of faith is first to experience the hand of God come into our lives. No human being can reach God by purely human efforts. This is always first and foremost the work of God. We must always hold true to the teaching that God does not abandon anyone. Each and every person is sought after by God. God wants to live in friendship with every human being.
But the offer of God’s grace does not bowl human freedom over. God’s friendship is always a gift. Human beings are always free to accept or to reject the offer of God’s friendship.
We have been created into a world that is wonderful and meant to be lived and enjoyed. We have been blest with health. We can walk, talk, sing and enjoy a good hamburger. Creation is a very positive blessing. We are free to accept this gift in joy and gratitude. Or we can become sour and complain how we are deprived of this and that quality. It is a deliberate choice to recognize each morning as a gift.
We want to be like the holy man of old who began his morning prayer with: “Lord, that I may do good today because I will never pass this way again.”
We are free to accept the love and friendship of family, friends and co-workers. To be loved and wanted is always gift. We can never make another human being love and care for us. This is always a gift that we choose to accept. And especially when the still accept and stand by us on our off-days. Some days one of our friends will turn to us (but still accepting us in freedom): “This is not your best day but I won’t walk away from you.”
As we live and walk with God, we need to recognize the hard work that an adult faith life entails. Maybe the Spirit of God is moving you to care for a relative who is struggling with drug addiction. You will be tempted to just walk away from the hassle and frustration that drug addiction entails. Perhaps the Holy Spirit wants to give you the strength to keep going when almost everyone else has walked away.
We lead very demanding and busy lives. It is difficult to structure in a time for prayer. We want to get all our commitments accomplished. Too often we come to the end of the day and there has been no prayer time.
God wants our friendship. The discipline that prayer takes will always be worth our effort.
A faith-life does not drop out of the sky. It is very much a two-way affair. God is moving and dynamic. We have to become involved. We have to do our part.
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