"I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete." // John 15:11
As I stepped out of the car, I could see his joyful face bouncing up and down in the window. When I opened the back door to greet my second-grade son, he flew at me exclaiming, “Mom! I got all the work done you asked!” I hugged him and greeted his older sisters who told me how they had also accomplished their assignments. And the joy of that moment stayed with us the rest of the homeschool day.
We have been trying a new thing this school year, now that my children are a little older. I slip away to a morning Mass once a week while my children do independent homeschool work. It is good for them to learn to be self-disciplined, and it is a mini-retreat for me to be at Mass alone. When my children do what I ask, our joy that day is full because every subject goes smoothly. But when they do not follow my directions while I am gone, the day continues on in a struggle.
Being a parent has taught me many things about the Father’s love, and one of them is the joy of obedience. I have the same struggles as my children, always ready to find something to do besides my task at hand. But the Father’s commandment for me, the way I remain in His love, is to serve those before me, to do the work that He has called me to do. When I abuse my freedom and become a slave to my desires, I am not free at all. When I live out my day under His Will, I have the freedom to do good and to love better.
Sister, the Lord does not give us His commands to be burdens in our lives, even though when we are struggling to overcome concupiscence they can seem that way. He gives them to us to guide us in the way of love. All He ultimately wants is for us to surrender to His love and to return it, and the path to do this is through obedience to His Will. This can be revealed to us in the commandments preserved by the Church or in the vocations to which we are called. When we live in His love, we will have His joy.
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. She lives with her philosopher husband, three teen daughters, one pre-teen son, and a miracle baby girl in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She loves reading theology and novels, 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, Preach in His Name: A Meditation on Luke, and Abide in His Love: A Meditation on John. She was the 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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