“And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.” // 1 John 5:4
Streetlights flickered in the window of my friend’s house as I sat in a circle of ladies from my parish. It was the third meeting of a new book club, and people were already sharing freely about their faith and struggles. We were discussing how it looks in our days for God to be first in our lives—above all other people in our lives, no matter how dear to us.
I opened up as well, sharing something I have been noticing more and more especially on my busiest days. When I focus on myself and wanting things to happen the way I expect or prefer, my daily call feels burdensome. I might still do all the things that are required of me, but in a half-hearted and resentful way. Yet, on days when I open myself up to God in faith and do what I am called to do each day trusting in Him, I find my days, no matter how full of challenging things, are a joy.
As I finished speaking, I saw heads nodding in agreement. We all saw this truth: our days are better when we live them through our faith in God with love. When we trust that His will and commandments are for our good, we do not see our lives as a burden.
Sister, we are begotten by God. And because He created us at the beginning of our lives and continually creates us anew as we draw closer to His grace, He wants to help us conquer the world. He wants to conquer the dread of a long day, the resentment towards those in need in our lives, the fear of not being noticed by others.
Jesus came this Christmas season to “let the oppressed go free” (Luke 4:18).
Open your heart to Him in faith. Let His love free you and conquer your world.
Let His love free you. // Susanna Spencer Click to tweet
Susanna Spencer holds a master's in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and is the Devotions Editor for Blessed is She. She is a freelance writer and editor and a teacher-in-training living with her philosopher husband and four kids in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She loves reading theology, attending beautiful liturgies, cooking delicious food, and casually following baseball. She is the author of the Gospel Studies including Seek His Kingdom: A Meditation on Matthew , Listen to Him: A Meditation on Mark, and Abide in His Love: A Meditation on John. She was narrator for Found: Advent With the Good Shepherd and Rescued: Lent With the Lamb of God and a contributing author and editor for our children’s devotional prayer book, Rise Up. She was the Theological Editor of the Blessed Conversations Studies. Find out more about her here.
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