“ In My Heart or Just My Head”

There are many things I know in my “head”, but not in my “heart”. Because I know and understand something in my head,  I can think it’s part of me, “I’ve got this”.  I just read about how to dribble a basketball, doing the  now common “Euro Step” move … I understand it, I think I can execute it.  But, when I head out to the basketball hoop on our driveway to show my grandkids….I trip over my feet and throw the ball into the street…..hmmmmm.  I enjoy the adventure shows on T.V.,  watching a  great outdoorsman starting a fire with no matches… hey I can do that…. maybe, but probably not.  The analogies are not perfect, but I hope you get the idea.  

Understanding has different levels. I may really understand something in my head, but it can go a lot deeper. Hey, I trust God. I trust that he loves me. I really do and it’s not just in my head. I’ve experience his love personally. But there’s always more. I read an article today and something grabbed me.  The author writes “It appears from the Gospels that Christ wanted very much for us to experience his presence, to have us near him. He would gather his people as a hen gathers its chicks. He lets the little children come to him. He asks Peter if he loves him. He even begs his friends to be present in his agony…… if someone would be willing to do anything for another, but the person would shun their presence, they would feel hurt and unloved…. being in the actual presence of someone you love causes a deep happiness…”  (Magnificat, 3-21-22, Ronda Chervin) 

Sometimes I have trouble believing, in my heart, that the Lord really wants to be in my presence. I know, in my head, that he loves me and that he paid a tremendous price for my salvation, but sometimes I can tend to be annoying or worse. There’s a painting of Our Lady of Sorrows that shows the Blessed Mother in her agony holding her son; she has a look of deep sorrow and of terrible distress. Sometimes I recall that my sins put her son thru this agony…. why would she want to be in my presence and help me.

While I know the answer (GOD’s LOVE) to these questions in my head, at times I still feel like he should not want to get too close to me. I need to experience his wonderful LOVE more deeply in my heart as well as my head.

God has made it abundantly clear that he loves us and that he wants to be with us. He has offered his mercy and kindness and he want us to fully embrace this tremendous love. He wants us to fully accept this gift of salvation. We’re not being humble by keeping God at arm’s length, we’re rejecting his love…. we’re not trusting him… we’re saying we know better.

God loves us and he likes us. We’re his friends. God wants us to be with him… he’s invited us to the celebration and he really wants us to be there. “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which you have given me in your love for me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24)

For all who have accepted the great invitation of Christ’s salvation, this is true. We need to ask the Lord to bring this magnificent truth deeper into our hearts. We’ll know it’s penetrating our hearts when the smile on our face gets brighter and brighter and we desire more and more to share this Good News with all those we encounter. 

And by the way, if any of you reading this BLOG have never said yes to Christ’s invitation, let today be the day. “Yes Lord Jesus, I accept your gift. Lord, I’m sorry for my sins, please help me… please forgive me…. I give my life to you under your care and provision and lordship… I love you and want to spend eternity with you.” And that is the Good News.